FDA receives wake-up call to limit uses of bisphenol A in food contact articles
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently received a call to restrict the usage of bisphenol A (BPA) in plastics used to produce food contact materials.
A coalition of scientists, physicians, and environmental groups, has written a formal petition, arguing that the federal government should intervene promptly to reduce Americans' exposure to BPA.
In support of their request, the signers cite findings published in December 2021 by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), that re-evaluated the risks of BPA in food and proposes to considerably lower the tolerable daily intake (TDI) as harmful effects can occur at levels 100 000 times lower than previously assumed. The petitioners state that, considering FDA estimates of exposures, the average American's BPA exposure is 5 000 times higher than the new level considered safe by EFSA, therefore, the current situation constitutes a high health risk, as it was demonstrated that BPA can have negative effects on the immune and reproductive systems.
The document includes various amendments, including a recommendation to the FDA to rescind approvals for BPA in adhesives and coatings intended for use in packaging, transporting or holding food, as well as in coatings used as a food-contact surface in producing, manufacturing, packing, processing, preparing, treating, packaging, transporting or holding food.
Considering the EFSA's latest findings, the signers also call for a study to establish a tolerable daily intake of dietary BPA.
In response to the petition, the FDA stated that it is aware of the recent EFSA draft opinion on BPA, that it is reviewing that document, and it will follow its established regulatory procedures for responding to the petition.
Source:
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