On November 27, 2023, Professor Dr. Andreas Kortenkamp of Brunel University London, on behalf of more than 50 scientists, published an open letter to German ministers Steffi Lemke and Cem Őzdemir regarding recent bisphenol policy decisions. In August 2023 German authorities withdrew a restriction proposal for bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) and other related bisphenols that was originally submitted to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in October 2022 (FPF reported). Kortenkamp and other signatories state that “all the evidence required to restrict the use of these chemicals [bisphenols] according to the European chemical regulation REACH is available, yet the German authorities have recently withdrawn their REACH restriction proposal.”
The original restriction proposal included five bisphenols and their derivatives coming to a total of more than 30 bisphenol-based substances with concerns of environmental health effects. Germany removed the proposal in order to consider information gained through stakeholder submissions and plans to resubmit a new proposal at some point in the future. However, there are no details about what the new restriction proposal will cover or when it will come.
Kortenkamp et al. were additionally concerned with the German response to updated exposure limits for BPA. When the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) lowered the tolerable daily intake of BPA in April 2023 (FPF reported), the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment disagreed and established a “safe” value 1000 times higher. According to the signatories, “the scientific weight of evidence strongly supports EFSA’s value.”
The letter cites several recent studies by Kortenkamp and others demonstrating that the evidence of BPA reducing semen quality is “robust” and that limiting bisphenols would be positive for both human health (FPF reported, also here) as well as environmental health in Europe.
Food Packaging Forum director Dr. Jane Muncke as well as several members of FPF’s Scientific Advisory Board were signatories to the letter.
Reference
Andreas Kortenkamp, et al. (November 27, 2023). “Open letter regarding the recent handling of bisphenols by German regulatory agencies.”
Read more
Emma Davies (November 30, 2023). “Scientists call on Germany to strengthen, resubmit bisphenols restriction proposal.” Chemical Watch
