European Food Safety Authority Reaffirms Safety of BPA

WASHINGTON — Despite continuing controversy over the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage packaging, its safety was emphatically reaffirmed today by the European Food Safety Authority.

EFSA stated unequivocally that the human body rapidly metabolizes and eliminates BPA, and therefore it presents no risk to infants, children or adults.

The North American Metal Packaging Alliance (NAMPA) applauds this definitive statement as it further aligns worldwide scientific and regulatory opinion that BPA is safe as used in food and beverage contact applications. NAMPA notes that the EFSA panel specifically addressed the low-dose theory, stating that the body of evidence “further limits the relevance” of low-dose effects of BPA.

NAMPA is especially pleased that this position negates the argument espoused by some that BPA is unsafe even at very low exposure levels. In fact, EFSA went on to say that the current regulatory limit in Europe “provides a sufficient margin of safety for the protection of the consumer, including fetuses and newborns.”

In making its determination on the safety of BPA, EFSA took into consideration what it termed the “gold standard” study, conducted by RTI International and just published in the peer-reviewed journal Toxicological Sciences. This RTI study found “no evidence of reproductive or developmental adverse effects from dietary exposure to BPA at estimated human BPA exposure levels … to doses up to 50,000 times higher than the estimated human exposure levels.”