The European Union's allowable daily intake threshold of the organic compound bisphenol A (BPA) does not need to change, the European Food Safety Agency said Sept. 30.
Despite concerns about the substance expressed by lawmakers in Canada, Denmark, France and Sweden, an EFSA expert panel said it "could not identify any new evidence" that would lead to a revision of the EU Tolerable Daily Intake level of 0.05 milligram per kilogram of body weight, which was put in place in 2006.
While some studies on animals exposed to low levels of BPA had shown "biochemical changes in the central nervous system, effects on the immune system, and enhanced susceptibility to breast cancer," the EFSA panel concluded that these studies had "many shortcomings" and could not be used to determine the impact of the substance on human health.
In the United States , chemical manufacturers welcomed EFSA's decision. "For the third time since 2007, and as a result of a comprehensive review of more than 800 recent studies, EFSA has again confirmed that bisphenol A is safe for use in products that come in contact with food," Steven Hentges, a senior director at the American Chemistry Council, said in a statement.
"Consumers around the world can be reassured that EFSA's intense scientific scrutiny continues to reaffirm the safety of BPA in food contact applications and again concludes that established safe intake levels for BPA provide a sufficient margin of safety for protection of consumers."
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services currently is spending $30 million to research bisphenol A's health effects. And, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is promoting an amendment to pending food safety legislation that would ban BPA from being used with food products in the United States.
