WASHINGTON (PRNewswire-USNewswire) — The American Chemistry Council (ACC) offers the following comments regarding the release of a final report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) titled "Scientific opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in foodstuffs." The report was prepared by EFSA's expert panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids. Quotes from the following may be attributed to Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D. of ACC's Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group.
"Based on a comprehensive re-evaluation of BPA exposure and toxicity, EFSA's scientific experts concluded that 'BPA poses no health risk to consumers of any age group (including unborn children, infants and adolescents) at current exposure levels.' EFSA's overall conclusion is similar to recent statements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the safety of BPA.
"Going beyond previous assessments, EFSA evaluated exposure to BPA not only from food, but also from a range of other potential sources. Considering all exposure sources together, EFSA concluded: 'BPA poses no health risk to consumers because current exposure to the chemical is too low to cause harm.' EFSA further explained: 'To be as open and transparent as possible, EFSA thoroughly consulted and engaged with national authorities and stakeholders during this risk assessment to ensure that the widest possible range of scientific views and information were considered.'
"While news outlets continue to cover small studies claiming various health effects of BPA, this expert panel review is comprehensive and inclusive, covering more than 450 studies reviewed by scientific experts for relevance and rigor.
"The safe exposure limit for BPA, known as a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI), was conservatively set to include uncertainties about potential health effects of BPA. It is anticipated that EFSA will revisit the TDI to incorporate results from ongoing research being conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program and the FDA.
"Notably, to address a controversial claim that BPA can cause health effects at very low doses, EFSA's experts established scientific criteria to evaluate studies that reported unexpected responses at low doses. Based on these criteria, the experts concluded that 'the available data do not provide evidence that BPA results in non-monotonic dose-response relationships.'
"Many other government bodies around the world have also evaluated the scientific evidence on BPA and have clearly stated that BPA is safe as used in food contact materials. Similar to EFSA's conclusion, FDA responded to the question, 'Is BPA safe?' with one unambiguous word: 'Yes.' Supporting this clear conclusion is one of the largest studies ever conducted on BPA, which was published by FDA researchers in 2014, and extensive scientific documentation on numerous other studies that was recently released."
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The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is an $812 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is the nation's largest exporter, accounting for twelve percent of all U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.