In an article published on December 9, 2015 by the news provider Chemical Watch, journalist Vanessa Zainzinger reports on the dispute between industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over an acceptable migration limit for bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) in food contact materials (FCMs). In November 2015, the European Commission (EC) published a roadmap proposing different options for regulating and restricting BPA in FCMs (FPF reported). Most options foresee the setting of an EU-wide specific migration limit (SML) for BPA. This is welcomed by industry associations such as the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and PlasticsEurope. Industry is concerned over individual national legislations on BPA – such as in Member States France, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium (FPF reported) – as this distorts the single European market. Further, industry rests on EFSA’s scientific opinion which concluded that BPA poses no health risk to consumers of any age group at current exposure levels (FPF reported). Contrarily, non-profit organizations such as Breast Cancer UK and CHEM Trust request that BPA be banned for use in all FCMs (option 5 of EC roadmap). They point out that scientific evidence suggests that even low doses of BPA can lead to adverse health effects and thus an SML will only provide limited protection. Generally, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) should be removed from all FCMs, the NGOs urge. Further, Gwynne Lyons of CHEM Trust highlights the EC’s possible ties with industry stating that EC’s “main concerns appear to be about what is easily achievable by industry rather than protection of health.” The NGOs also worry that they might not be consulted about the roadmap proposals.
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Vanessa Zainzinger (December 9, 2015). “Industry and NGOs clash over BPA migration limit proposal.” Chemical Watch
