Danger of fish contaminated with plastic chemicals

A new study shows that fish contaminated with Bisphenol A (BPA) from plastic production behave indiscriminately and cause cross-breeding among fish species.

Shiner fish

Essica Ward researcher at the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul, USA, has found more impact from BPA, when she exposed two B-tail and black-tailed Shiner fish to each other for 14 days, then compared. Their flirtatious behavior with other fish is not contaminated with BPA chemicals. The results showed that the fish exposed to BPA had higher access to other fish than the uninfected fish.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that affects animal behavior and development because it is similar to estrogen hormones. It is these combination hormones that affect the males of many fish species, weakening their fertility.

Many scientists believe that BPA affects not only fish, it also harms humans even at lower concentrations. But in early 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration dismissed the need to ban BPA from plastic containers for food and in infant formula boxes.