EFSA's Re-Evaluation Confirms That Health Concern for BPA is Low, says American Chemistry Council

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Jan 17, 2014, 09:45 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Chemistry Council (ACC) offers the following comments regarding the release of the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) "Draft Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in foodstuffs." Quotes from the following may be attributed to Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D. of ACC's Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group.

"The European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) announcement today reaffirms that consumer exposure to BPA, from all sources, poses a low health risk. In this comprehensive review of more than 450 studies addressing potential health hazards, the Authority applied a weight of evidence approach and concluded: 'the health risk for all population groups is low – including for fetuses, infants, young children and adults.'

"The overall conclusion was based on a thorough and cautious scientific approach. The expert panel noted that its safe limit, known as a tolerable daily intake (TDI), was 'very conservatively derived,' and the highest potential consumer exposure was used to assess risks. EFSA's draft report is open for public review and consultation and is expected to be finalized later in 2014.

"Many government bodies around the world have evaluated the scientific evidence on BPA and have declared it safe as used in food contact materials. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently updated its position on BPA in June of 2013, responding to the question, 'Is BPA safe?' with one unambiguous word: 'Yes.' In further explanation, FDA also states that 'BPA is safe at the very low levels that occur in some foods.'

"The conclusions of EFSA and FDA are supported by extensive research funded and conducted by U.S. government laboratories. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has funded recent, robust research conducted by scientists at FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the government's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Consistent with previous human and animal studies, the Pacific Northwest study (Teeguarden et al.) indicates that, because of the way BPA is processed in the body, it is very unlikely that BPA could cause health effects at any realistic exposure level."

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The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $770 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is one of the nation's largest exporters, accounting for twelve percent of all U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.

SOURCE American Chemistry Council