**1. Introduction**

Bisphenol A, normally abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with two vicinal phenolic group. It is also known as 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane. BPA is a high-volume industrial chemical used in the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate (PC) plastics.

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The chemical synthesis and industrial conversion of BPA in PC and epoxy resin are shown in **Figure 1**.

Many food and drink containers are manufactured with PC plastics. On the other side, epoxy resins are normally used as inner liners in food and drink containers; polycarbonate plastics may be encountered in many products, especially in food and drink containers, while epoxy resins are frequently used as inner liners of metallic food and drink recipients with the aim to prevent corrosion. Some thermal paper used in cash registers or similar devices could be a source of BPA. Additionally, BPAs have been used in polyvinylchloride (PVC) industries and metal foundries for cast and molding production.

BPA was synthesized for the first time by the Russian chemist A.P. Dianin in 1891, and in the early 1930s, the British biochemist E.C. Dodds tested BPA as an artificial estrogen but found it less effective than estradiol [1].

Dodds eventually developed a structurally similar compound, diethylstilbestrol (DES), which was used as a synthetic estrogen drug [2] in women and in animals until it was banned in 1971 due to its risk of causing cancer. Actually, bisphenol A is used primarily to make plastics, and BPA is contained in products that have been in commercial use since 1957. BPA-based plastic is clear and tough and is made into a variety of common consumer goods, such as water bottles, sports equipment, CDs, and DVDs. Epoxy resins containing BPA are used to line water pipes, as coatings on the inside of many food and beverage cans and in making thermal paper such as that used in sale receipts. In 2015, an estimated 5.4 million tonnes of BPA chemical were produced for manufacturing polycarbonate plastic, making it one of the highest volume of chemicals produced worldwide.

**Figure 1.** Bisphenol A as a commodity chemical and essential component of two classes of polymers.
