BPA Used in Baby Bottles Poses No Health Risks: EU Agency

Bisphenol-A, a chemical used in baby bottles that is banned in Australia, Denmark, Canada and France, poses no health risks, the European Food Safety Authority said Friday.

The agency has already given favourable opinions on the chemical twice, but the European Commission requested a new scientific analysis in the wake of 800 new studies with sometimes contradictory conclusions.

A panel of EFSA scientists concluded that "they could not identify any new evidence which would lead them to revise" the tolerable daily intake of BPA that the agency has set, 0.05 milligrammes per kilogramme of body weight.

"Should any new relevant data become available in the future, the panel will reconsider this opinion," the agency said in a statement.

One panel member expressed a minority opinion saying some recent studies point to uncertainties regarding adverse health effects below the tolerable daily intake.

The expert recommended that the current daily intake recommendation should be temporary.

BPA is used in the production of polycarbonated plastics and epoxy resins found in baby bottles, plastic containers, the lining of cans used for food and beverages, and in dental sealants.

France has banned baby bottles containing the chemical due to suspicions that it harms human development.

Denmark has gone a step further by extending the prohibition to all food products containing BPA for children up to three years old.

Bans are also in place in Australia, Canada and a few US states.

Source: AFP