BPA toxic to reproduction. This was the verdict of the EU Member States Committee, which unanimously approved the proposal of the French Food Safety Authority (Anses). And in Italy a petition calls for banning it.
BPA, high risk
Bisphenol A is classified as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC). A level of concern equivalent to that toward carcinogens and mutagens. And it will therefore be placed on the appropriate list by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
‘This decision will result in new requirements for industry to notify the presence of the substance in manufactured or imported items, and to inform the buyer about the presence of BPA in every item for sale’
(Dominique Gombert, director for risk assessment, ANSES)
3.8 million tons of BPA each year
BPA is not ‘only’ an endocrine disruptor, (1) but is also toxic to reproduction. It can cause estrogen pathway disorders, alter reproductive function, mammary gland development, cognitive function, and metabolism. This is not reassuring news, considering that Bisphenol-A is one of the most widely used chemicals on the planet, 3.8 million tons in 2016, about a third of which entered Europe.
Historic decision, NGOs applaud
‘For more than 20 years, Bisphenol A has been suspected of causing disruption to the hormonal system, with other serious and dangerous effects on human health and the environment, and is still the most widespread endocrine disruptor today,’ according to ClientEarth. ‘The European Union and national governments must act quickly to limit the irreversible damage this substance causes every day … including cancers, learning disabilities and diabetes.’
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the largest network of environmental organizations in Europe, also urges early action on these types of substances.
HEAL – Health and Environmental Alliance (a leading organization for protecting the health of citizens and the environment in the EU), in turn encourages Europe and its member states to follow the French example in replacing BPA, to reduce the exposure of populations to the toxic substance.
The European Parliament had already asked the Commission to ban the use of BPA in all food contact materials. Several EU member states (2) had already banned its use. Not Italy as well, unfortunately.
Industry fights back
On the opposite side, predictably, is PlasticsEurope, the European representation of a hundred or so industries that express more than 90 percent of polymer production in the 28 EU member states, as well as Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. ‘The decision is contrary to our thorough evaluation of the scientific data on BPA,’ adduces Jasmin Bird. Leading the association’s PC/BPA (Polycarbonate/Bisphenol A) working group.
Exposure to BPA is of concern in any case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, (3) found bisphenol A in the urine of 95% of adults sampled in 1988-1994 and in 93% of children and adults tested in 2003-2004. Exposure is still estimated at 95 percent of the population in Western countries.
The anti-BPA petition
The petition to permanently ban BPA can be signed at this link. (4)
Dario Dongo and Luca Foltran
Notes
(1) Endocrine disruptors actually ‘turn on’, ‘turn off’ or otherwise modify the normal signals sent by hormones. Their effects are worrisome because they are insidious and difficult to measure in the medium to long term
(2) Denmark, Austria, France, Belgium, Sweden
(3) CDC, Center of Disease Control.
(4) SEE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNfr0deCR6Y7Cl81IPHMjzw
