22 XII 2021 - Bisphenol A (BPA) is the main component of polycarbonate bottle. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) draught opinion proposes lowering the BPA tolerable daily intake from 4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day to 0.04 nanograms.
This project is published after the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to identify BPA as hazardous for the endocrine system and therefore of very high concern. This decision was confirmed by the Court of Justice of the EU rejecting attempts by PlasticsEurope to reverse the ECHA decision.
Reducing the tolerable daily intake by a log 5 factor is a major change (4 µg/kg to 0,04 ng/kg)! The final opinion is expected to be adopted by December 2022.
The Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group represents the leading global manufacturers of bisphenol A (BPA) and polycarbonate plastic. The Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group (https://www.factsaboutbpa.org) recognized the average daily intake for a man was about 2,4 µg (here).
This literature also confirmed there is no BPA in PET bottles.
BPA affects hormone systems including estrogen, androgen, and corticosterone; that BPA induces oxidative stress, and that it impairs mitochondrial function and calcium regulation. Even low exposure to BPA has been linked to cancer, fat cell generation, and changes to the reproductive, nervous, and other bodily systems.
The EU is still well ahead of the US in cutting acceptable BPA levels in food and other applications, reports show. In 1988, the FDA set the safe daily exposure level at 50 µg/kg of body weight, where it remains. France banned BPA for food contact items in December 2012 and BPA is banned in EU for baby bottles application.
