2017-06-16 09:08:35
Bisphenol A is a synthetic chemical substance that has been used for more than 50 years, particularly in the plastics industry. ANSES has identified nearly sixty sectors of activity that are potential users of this substance in France. The Agency’s work on the uses and health effects of bisphenol A, carried out as part of the National Strategy on Endocrine Disruptors, led it to recommend, as of September 2011, a reduction in exposure of the population, in particular by its substitution in materials in contact with foodstuffs. Thus, since 1is January 2015, bisphenol A is banned in France in food containers, leading to a significant drop in the level of exposure to this substance.
Furthermore, in 2012, as part of the implementation of European regulations on the labeling of chemical substances (CLP regulations), ANSES submitted a proposal to ECHA to revise the classification of BPA as toxic to reproduction (fertility) category 1B, a proposal adopted by the European Commission in July 2016.
Finally, a measure restricting the use of BPA in certain articles intended for the general public, such as thermal tickets, was also adopted by the European Commission in December 2016, on the basis of an investigation file from ANSES submitted to ECHA in the context of the REACh regulation.
Identification of bisphenol A as a substance of very high concern
The REACh regulation provides that substances that can have serious and irreversible effects on human health and the environment can be identified as substances of very high concern (SVHC). In February 2017, ANSES submitted to ECHA a proposal for the identification of BPA as an SVHC on the basis of its “endocrine disruptor” properties for human health.
This proposal has just been adopted by the Committee of Member States at the European Agency: the SVHC identification of BPA will have the direct consequence of an obligation for industry to notify ECHA of the presence of the substance in manufactured or imported articles and to inform the purchaser of an article, following his request, of the presence of BPA.
The inclusion of BPA on the list of substances of very high concern opens up the possibility of limiting its use, by making its use conditional on the granting of a temporary and renewable authorization.
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