Assessing bisphenols migration from children's products on the Swiss market: simulated oral exposure and risk implications

Bisphenols, including bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues, are widely used in consumer plastics and are known endocrine disruptors. Despite increasing BPA regulations, its analogues have been found in children's products, with migration patterns varying across product categories. This study provides a large-scale evaluation of bisphenols migration from 162 products randomly selected from the Swiss market, categorized into toys (TOY), bath toys and accessories (BTA), oral supports (OSU), and feeding accessories and baby bottles (FAB). Migration was assessed using artificial saliva as a simulant, replicating buccal exposure in infants and young children. This study reveals widespread bisphenols release, with BPA and bisphenol B as the most frequently detected compounds. Notably, OSU and FAB categories, which involve direct oral contact, exhibited higher migration rates than TOY and BTA. Exposure was estimated using a deterministic model, integrating daily exposure (DE), margin of exposure (MOE), and total daily intake (TDI). MOE values below 100 were observed for BPE in OSU, indicating potential health concerns. TDI calculations suggest that exposure from these products alone exceeds the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) safety threshold for BPA. The findings underscore the urgent need for stricter regulatory oversight, particularly for bisphenol A analogues in products frequently mouthed by infants and toddlers. • Pacifiers and teething rings significantly contribute to infant bisphenol exposure in realistic conditions. • Findings reveal that products with direct oral contact play a crucial role in cumulative bisphenols intake. • Estimated daily intake of bisphenol A from these products exceeds EFSA safety thresholds. • Study provides critical data for refining risk assessment models and guiding safer material choices in infant products.