Dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) is a health concern for consumers of all ages, EFSA scientists concluded in an opinion published on Wednesday 19 April following a reassessment of the public health risks of BPA in food.
This chemical, used in combination with other chemicals to make some plastics and resins used in food containers, can migrate in very small amounts into the food and drink they contain.
BPA was already recognised as an endocrine disruptor. The review of numerous scientific publications, including 800 new studies published since 2013, “has removed significant uncertainties about the toxicity” of this substance, EFSA said in a statement. These uncertainties were reported in its 2015 assessment.
EFSA has now identified risks to cellular immunity mechanisms.
It therefore proposes to significantly lower the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for BPA, i.e. the amount that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without posing an appreciable health risk.
The proposed new TDI is about 20,000 times lower. It is 0.2 nanograms (0.2 billionth of a gram) per kilogram of body weight per day. The previous limit, established in 2015 as a temporary measure, was 4 micrograms (4 millionths of a gram) per kilogram of body weight per day.
Comparing the new TDI with estimates of dietary exposure to BPA, EFSA experts concluded that consumers with medium and high exposure to BPA in all age groups exceeded the new TDI, indicating health problems.
EFSA’s scientific opinion, which was requested in 2016 by the European Commission, will now feed into discussions among EU legislators on regulatory measures to protect consumers.
See the scientific opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/6di (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)