2023-10-26 13:09:48
BPA was studied in the 1930s, but it was onlyIn 1960 that its massive use in industry has really begun. Cash receipts, bank cards, plastic bottles, insides of tins and cans, etc., today BPA is found in the majority of containers. Since January 1, 2015, the use of BPA has been prohibited in the composition of food containers (infant bottles, bottles, canned goods, etc.). But it remains present in many products.
Bisphenol A or BPA, what is it?
Discovered by the Russian chemist Alexandre Dianin in 1891, bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical molecule resulting from the reaction between acetone and phenol. It’s done a synthetic estrogen.
Bisphenol A has many advantages: it is virtually unbreakable, heat resistant, easy to sterilize, etc. ” He is used for the synthesis of plastics and resins used in the manufacture of many everyday products (food and non-food),” indicates the Léon Bérard Cancer Center (source 1). The problem ? ” He has the ability to migrate from its containers into the food or drink which is in contact with it, thus being able to be ingested by the human organism.
The global production of BPA would now exceed 3 million tonnes per year, of which 700,000 are produced and consumed in the European Union (EU).
Where is bisphenol A found? In which products?
Le polycarbonate
“We use polycarbonate to manufacture various rigid plastic products : CDs, DVDs, spectacle lenses, safety glazing, electrical sockets and switches, medical equipment, electronic boxes (mobile phones, computers, electric kettles and coffee makers, etc.),” reports the Center Léon Bérard.
« Environ 3% of the polycarbonates used have food contact : water bottles, bottles, baby bottles, storage or microwave containers, dishes, etc. », specifies the latter.
Epoxy resins
“They are mainly used to protect the equipment and objects it covers from oxidation : ship hulls, bridges or metal furniture, floors, wind turbines, interior of tanks and metal or concrete pipes, drinking water supply networks (tanks and pipes), dental amalgams,” indicates the Léon Bérard Center. “ Around 11% of these resins would have food contact : barrels (wine, beer, etc.), cans, or cans, the interior of which is often covered with an epoxy resin film.”
“Finally, a large proportion of thermal papers currently used for small print terminals (receipts from credit cards, gas pumps, etc.) are covered on one side with a BPA powder,” adds the Center.
The importance of BPA production and its multiple uses also make it very present in the environmentadds the Léon Bérard Center.
What are the risks and dangers associated with bisphenol A?
Bisphenol A and endocrine disruptors
Bisphenol A is officially recognized as a endocrine disruptor for human health since 2017, that is to say, it can block or mimic the action of hormones and cause certain diseases. Type 2 diabetes, obesity, fertility problems… are among the possible consequences.
This endocrine disruptor is present in 92% of Europeans, according to a study by the European Environment Agency carried out in eleven countries, and published in 2023 – which represents a potential danger to health (source 2).
Bisphenol A and cancer
Since the 2000s, experts have been interested in the potential carcinogenic effects of BPA in humans. Numerous studies have been carried out over the last decades, and although certain carcinogenic effects have been proven in animals, ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety) reports in 2011 that the results cannot be extrapolated directly to humans, given the differences between different species.
Nowadays, no carcinogenic effect of BPA has therefore been demonstratedin man. “The results of recent studies recommend the prevention of exposure of the most sensitive populations: infants, young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women,” specifies the Léon Bérard Center.
Health risks of bisphenol A: what does the law say?
For a long time, ANSES has recommended reduction of exposure to bisphenol Ain particular by its substitution in materials in contact with foodstuffs.
In 2011, on the basis of a report relating to the health effects of bisphenol A, ANSES concluded that “the existence proven effects in animals (effects on reproduction, on the mammary gland, on metabolism, the brain and behavior) and suspected effects in humans (effects on reproduction, metabolism and cardiovascular pathologies)”, reports the Anses website (source 3).
Ban on BPA in food containers (baby bottles, plastic bottles, etc.)
“The Agency, on the basis of his works relating to the study of the uses and the expertise of the health effects of BPA recommended in September 2011, a reduction of population exposures, in particular by its substitution in materials in contact with foodstuffs,” reports the Agency. Since January 1 2015the use of BPA is prohibited in the composition of food containers (bottles, bottles, cans, etc.).
A reassessment of BPA safety in 2023 by EFSA
In 2015, the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) assessed exposure to bisphenol A and its toxicity. Conclusion at the time: “at current levels of exposure, BPA does not present a health risk consumers of all age groups (including unborn children, infants and adolescents)” (source 4).
In April 2023, following a thorough reassessment of new available scientific evidence and a public consultation, EFSA experts finally identified potentially harmful effects on the immune system. Result: bisphenol A in food presents health risks (source 5).
The Agency then publishes a reassessment of the safety of BPA, significantly reducing the tolerable daily intake (TDI) set in its previous assessment in 2015. “At the time, the tolerable daily intake (TDI) was temporary because EFSA scientists had identified a number of gaps and uncertainties in the data, which they were committed to reassessing when new data become available,” explains EFSA. Experts have established a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.2 nanograms (2 billionths of a gram) per kilogram of body weight per day, replacing the previous temporary limit of 4 micrograms (4 millionths of a gram) per kilogram of body weight per day. About one dose 20,000 lower than the previous one.
All French people are exposed to BPA
In 2019, Santé Publique France measured urinary bisphenol concentrations from a sample of 500 children and 900 adults, aged 6 to 74, between April 2014 and March 2016 (source 6). Verdict: bisphenols A (BPA), S and F were detected in almost all samples, BPA in greater concentration than the other two types of bisphenols.
How to avoid exposure to bisphenol A?
The main source of absorption of bisphenol A turns out to be food containers. It is in fact under the action of heat that plastics release the bisphenol A that they may possibly contain.
It is possible to limit exposure by adopting certain simple actions:
- Limit the use of metal canssome containing BPA, and cans;
- Do not reheat foods in their plastic containers. Place them on a plate or in a glass container and cover them with a lid or plate;
- Favor glass, ceramic, terracotta or porcelain containers to reheat food;
- Preferably use plastic containers without bisphenol A. To identify them, the numbers 2, 4 or 5 appear in the small recycling triangle printed on the container.
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