2023-04-20 15:16:09
20 avril 2023
Bisphenols would still be widely present in food containers and products intended for babies. UFC-Que Choisir warns of the dangers of these substances and calls for their ban.
UFC-Que Choisir alerted on Wednesday April 19 to the presence of bisphenols in a large number of baby products or food containers. The association calls for the prohibition of these substances in “the most risky everyday products”.
What are bisphenols used for? These substances are “used to produce polymers and resins, which are then used to manufacture plastic materials. They form a large family consisting of many substances that have similar chemical structures and uses., explains the European chemical agency. Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) are more particularly known, each being suspected of being dangerous to health. Recognized as an endocrine disruptor, bisphenol A has been banned in France since January 1, 2015 in all baby toys, baby bottles and food containers.
The most harmful endocrine disruptors in infants
UFC-Que Choisir explains in its press release that it has searched for the presence of BPA and other types of bisphenols in more than a hundred food packaging or objects intended for babies.. “Our tests reveal the presence of different bisphenols in 6 out of 14 baby bottles and cups tested, as well as in 7 out of 12 teething rings”, notes the association. Exposure to bisphenols is even more of a concern in toddlers. “Endocrine disruptors are particularly harmful at the early stages of child development,” underlines the UFC-Que Choisir.
While the European Food Safety Agency, @EFSA_EUalert on the risks associated with Bisphenol A (BPA),@UFCquechoisir demands a total ban on #bisphenols in food packaging and children’s products! https://t.co/gIc3McxnFx pic.twitter.com/VrlM0cDxyJ
– UFC-Que Choisir (@UFCquechoisir) April 19, 2023
In addition, all of the cans and cans tested also contained bisphenols. “The placental barrier offers the fetus no protection once morest these molecules which should not be found in the food products consumed by the mother”warns the association.
If France has banned bisphenol A in all food containers, this is not the case for Europe, which for the time being sticks to a ban only for products intended for babies. As for the other bisphenols, suspected of being just as dangerous to health, they are authorized in France and in the European Union.
Alert from the European Food Safety Agency
The conclusions of the tests conducted by UFC-Que Choisir were published on the same day as those of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) specific to bisphenol A. According to the EFSA, the tolerable daily intake (TDI) must be divided by 20,000. “EFSA experts have established a 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 “specifies the European health authority.
Why such a recommendation? According to EFSA scientists, too much exposure to bisphenol A might be responsible for an increase in the percentage of a certain type of white blood cells in the spleen. “They play a key role in our cellular immune mechanisms and such an increase might lead to the development of allergic lung inflammation and autoimmune disorders,” explains Dr Claude Lambré, Chairman of EFSA’s Scientific Panel on materials in contact with food.
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Source : UFC – What to choose, EFSA, ECHA
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Written by : Dorothée Duchemin – Edited by Laura Bourgault
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