Bisphenols (BPs) are widely used in plastics, epoxy resins, and flame retardants, with bisphenol A (BPA) being the most common. Growing evidence links BPA exposure to metabolic, cardiovascular, and developmental disorders, prompting industries to replace it with structurally similar analogues such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF).

However, the toxicity and environmental persistence of these substitutes remain poorly understood, especially in fragile polar ecosystems. Although long-range transport has brought many pollutants to the Arctic, the contribution of local pollution sources and the potential for trophic biomagnification of BPs have not been clearly established. Due to these uncertainties, comprehensive investigations on bisphenol sources and food-web transfer in the Arctic are urgently needed.

Researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and their international partners have published a study in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, revealing the first clear evidence that BPs biomagnify within Arctic marine food webs. The team analyzed 32 bisphenol analogues in sediments, soils, and biota collected near Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Their results show that these contaminants not only originate from local human activities but also increase in concentration from marine invertebrates to fish, seabirds, and ultimately to polar bears.

The study examined 134 samples representing multiple trophic levels, from pelagic amphipods and annelids to crabs, fish, glaucous gulls, and a polar bear. Researchers detected 32 bisphenol analogues and found clear evidence of bioaccumulation and trophic magnification. The bisphenol compound BPPH exhibited the highest trophic magnification factor (TMF = 2.3), while total bisphenol concentrations in polar bear organs reached up to 1396 ng g⁻¹ wet weight, far exceeding those in lower-level species. Sediment analysis revealed that BPA and BPF were the most abundant compounds, and biota-sediment accumulation factors confirmed effective transfer from sediments to benthic organisms such as sculpins and annelids. The researchers identified two major local pollution sources: a firefighting training site releasing 2,4,6-tribromophenol and landfill leachate containing bisphenol C (BPC). These findings reveal that not only global transport but also local anthropogenic activities are major contributors to Arctic chemical contamination. The results provide the first comprehensive dataset showing that BPs behave like classical persistent pollutants in Arctic ecosystems.

"People often view the Arctic as pristine and isolated, but our findings show it is not immune to modern chemical pollution," said Professor Zi-Feng Zhang, corresponding author of the study. "What's striking is that these BPs are not just present -- they are magnifying through the food web all the way to polar bears. This means local emissions, such as from firefighting foams and landfills, can have far-reaching ecological impacts. Future management must consider both imported and locally generated pollutants."

This research underscores the urgent need to integrate local emission control with global monitoring of emerging pollutants. Since BPs can mimic hormones and affect wildlife reproduction and metabolism, their trophic magnification in Arctic species raises new concerns for food safety and ecological resilience. The findings call for stricter waste management at Arctic settlements, improved alternatives to bisphenol-based materials, and inclusion of BPs in long-term Arctic monitoring frameworks. Future studies will refine isotopic baselines for trophic-level assessment and evaluate the combined effects of BPs and other coexisting contaminants under changing polar environments.