Chemical used in baby bottles ‘safe in small amounts’

European Food Safety Authority says there is no evidence to justify changing scientific advice on bisphenol A.

Scientists advising European regulators have concluded that bisphenol A – a chemical widely used in baby bottles and food containers – is safe in small amounts.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) today (30 September) said that there was no evidence to justify changing scientific advice following a review by a advisory panel of 20 scientists. However, one scientist on the panel did not agree with the overall conclusion and argued that current guidance on human tolerance for bisphenol A (BPA) should remain temporary until the science was clearer.

The verdict disappointed campaigners on chemical safety, but was applauded by the plastics industry. A negative report from EFSA could have led to a series of bans on BPA across Europe, with major consequences for the industry.

Bisphenol A is one of the world’s most commonly-used chemicals, used in food containers, medical equipment and mobile-phone casings, and prized by industry for its shatter-proof, heat-resistant properties.

Today’s review re-affirmed conclusions that EFSA had reached in 2006 and 2008 on the “tolerable daily intake” (TDI) of bisphenol A. In these opinions EFSA said that a daily intake of 0.05 milligrams per kilogramme of body weight was safe for human consumption. BPA can be ingested by people when it comes into contact with food via bottles, tins and tableware.

The European Commission asked EFSA to review the 2008 advice, after new studies prompted some governments to look at banning the chemical.

Denmark introduced a temporary ban on the chemical in all bottles and cups for infants up to three years old in March. This was followed by a vote in the French National Assembly to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles, and a recommendation from Germany’s environment ministry for companies to use alternatives to the chemical.

In this new work, EFSA scientists reviewed more than 800 studies and looked at around 180 in detail, including work by the Danish Food Institute that informed Denmark’s ban. The panel concluded that some of the studies carried out on rats did not meet methodological standards, and therefore lessons could not be drawn from them for human health.

However, one member of the panel thought that these studies threw up enough uncertainty to merit making the “tolerable daily intake” advice temporary. An EFSA spokesman said that EFSA would continue to review new evidence: “In a sense every TDI is a temporary TDI because science is not set in stone.”

But campaigners said that EFSA was wrong not to take a more precautionary approach. In an initial reaction by email, a Greenpeace spokesman stated: “Nothing in this revised EFSA opinion negates the long-established fact that BPA is a toxic chemical capable of causing disruption to hormone systems…Greenpeace considers that for such a substance, which could be readily replaced with less hazardous alternatives….the only acceptable dose should be no dose at all.” 

Jasmin Bird of the Plastics Europe bisphenol A industry group welcomed the review: “EFSA’s latest advice reaffirms that consumers can continue to use BPA-based products with confidence.”