Bisphenol A in Selected South African Water Sources: A Critical Review

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a pollutant that has gained the attention of scientists globally because of its ubiquity in environmental matrices as well as its toxicity in the environment. It is listed as a priority pollutant in South Africa, capable of health risk impacts, which, according to the European Union, should not exceed 2.5 μg/L in water. In South Africa, historical data on its environmental occurrence is sparingly available, although research on BPA and other endocrine disruptors is currently gaining momentum. Surface, ground, and wastewater constitute the major proportion of the water sources that are prone to contamination by emerging pollutants such as BPA. In order to gain a holistic perspective of this chemical, a detailed review was carried out using over five hundred peer-reviewed articles that investigated the occurrence of BPA in South African aquatic systems. This study shows that Gauteng and Western Cape are the Provinces with the highest reported number of BPA occurrences in water. The data also shows that surface water constitutes 41% of all BPA articles while matrices like ponds and lagoons have no recorded studies. Its presence was attributed to anthropogenic activities such as the generation of domestic, agricultural, and industrial waste. Local application of removal techniques such as adsorption and photocatalysis on laboratory and field samples has shown good prospects (especially photocatalysis) in mitigating current challenges related to the occurrence of BPA. However, there is room for more innovative initiatives. Although there is a ban on the use of BPA for making baby bottles, additional regulations can be put in place regarding the use of BPA in making plastics or other packaging materials from which BPA can leach.