Contaminants | Food Contact Materials

Reassessment of the risks of bisphenol A (BPA) in food

The EFSA reassessed the risks of bisphenol A in food and lowered the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) by 100,000, setting the new value at 0.04 ng/kg.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has re-evaluated the risks of bisphenol A (BPA) in food

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has re-evaluated its risk assessment for bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor substance, and published a draft of a new scientific opinion on 15.12.2021, which sets the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) value (=tolerable amount of an active ingredient that is considered safe for human health in case of lifelong daily intake) to 0.04 ng / kg body weight per day.

This TDI value is lowered by a factor of 100,000 compared to the previous provisional TDI value (4 µg/kg body weight). According to current exposure to BPA data, there is a health risk in all age groups due to the intake of bisphenol A from food exceeding the Tolerable Daily Intake by 2-4 orders of magnitude.

The considerable decrease of the TDI value derives from new findings on possible effects of bisphenol A on the immune system. BPA, also classified as toxic to reproduction, is therefore considered as a substance of particular concern. Carcinogenic effects and repercussions on the nervous and cardiovascular systems cannot be ruled out. In high doses (approx. 100x TDI) bisphenol A can cause acute damage to the kidneys and liver.

Bisphenol A and other bisphenols (compounds with variable functional groups between 2 phenol rings, e.g. bisphenol F and S) are used, among other things, in the production of food contact materials made of polycarbonate plastics (e.g. tableware, reusable beverage bottles, storage containers, formerly also baby bottles), epoxy resin coatings of cans, thermal paper and toys. In the case of food, canned products (especially meat and fish products) are particularly impacted, into which bisphenol A migrates from coatings on the cans.

In addition to toxicological assessment values, there are some maximum levels and bans on use. Among others:

  • there are specific migration limits (SML) for the transfer of bisphenol A from plastics as well as paints and coatings,
  • a ban on the import and placing on the market of polycarbonate infant bottles manufactured using bisphenol A,
  • maximum levels for bisphenol A in thermal paper, for release from toys, for drinking water,
  • a ban on use in the manufacture and treatment of cosmetic products.

The current EFSA publication and the call for comments can be found here.

Through its expert network, Mérieux NutriSciences can support you with

Mérieux NutriSciences offers the analysis of bisphenol A, F and S. 

We are ISO17025 accredited (*) for the analysis of bisphenol A in foods like  coffee, meat and derivatives, fish products, milk and derivatives, fruit and vegetables and derivatives, deli products, cereals and derivatives, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, bakery and pastry products, oils and fats, sugar, Infant food, etc…

We can quantify bisphenol A and advise you on the subject and work together to develop individual solutions for your questions.  

(*) See our scopes of ISO17025 accreditation

Contact us to know more about our services.