Bisphenol A Effects on Stress Behaviors

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used polycarbonate plastic found in everyday items like water bottles, food containers, and children's toys, and is known to act as an endocrine disruptor. Due to its presence in consumer goods, human exposure to BPA is common, raising concerns about its impact on reproductive and neurological health. We aim to investigate whether BPA affects aquatic flatworms' neurological behaviors, specifically Girardia dorotocephala's phototaxis behavior to light. Using this model, we exposed planaria to varying BPA concentrations of 0.125 ppm through 2 ppm. The aim is to determine the lethal dose of BPA and assess its effects on pain-related behaviors, providing a broader perspective on its neurological impact. We expect the higher concentration of BPA will disrupt the planaria phototaxis behaviors, meaning instead of moving away from the light, they will go through the light.