European Food Safety Authority Issues BPA Opinion

On Thursday, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) reasserted its opinion on the safety of low levels of BPA for humans. An abstract from EFSA reads as follows:

Following a detailed and comprehensive review of recent scientific literature and studies on the toxicity of bisphenol A at low doses, scientists on the EFSA CEF Panel concluded they could not identify any new evidence which would lead them to revise the current Tolerable Daily Intake for BPA of 0.05 mg/kg body weight set by EFSA in its 2006 opinion and re-confirmed in its 2008 opinion.The panel also stated that the data currently available do not provide convincing evidence of neurobehavioural toxicity of BPA.

One panel member expressed a minority opinion, saying some recent studies point to uncertainties regarding adverse health effects below the level used to determine the current TDI. Although the member agrees with the rest of the panel's general view that these studies could not be used to establish a lower TDI, the expert recommends that the current TDI should become a temporary TDI.

The CEF Panel members acknowledge that some recent studies report adverse effects on animals exposed to BPA during development at doses well below those used to determine the current TDI. These studies show biochemical changes in the central nervous system, effects on the immune system and enhanced susceptibility to breast cancer. However, these studies have many shortcomings. At present the relevance of these findings for human health cannot be assessed, though should any new relevant data become available in the future, the panel will reconsider this opinion.

The latest work carried out by EFSA scientists followed a request from the European Commission to: a) carry out a review of recent scientific literature on the toxicity of BPA to assess whether the TDI should be updated; b) assess a new study on possible neurodevelopmental effects (i.e. possible effects to the brain and central nervous system) of BPA in rats, known as the Stump study; and c) advise on the risk assessment by Denmark’s DTU Food Institute.

The full opinion is available at EFSA.