Bisphenol A is a harmful chemical that most people have never heard of. However, it is in everyone’s body. It is one of the most produced chemicals in the world. Everyone who is exposed to food has bisphenol A in the body. You eat it, you drink it, you touch it every day. We ingest it through our mouth and skin. The substance is used to make all kinds of plastics. These plastics can be found in most food packaging. But it is also in materials used at the dentist, it is in cosmetics, in eye lenses and receipts from the supermarket, for example.
Plastics
Epoxy resin contains bisphenol A and is the material on the inside of beer bottle caps and plastic shelf life cans, for example. Bisphenol A can also be found in polycarbonate, which is used to make hard plastic products such as cups and lunch boxes. It is also in thermal paper such as receipts. If you hold it for more than 5 seconds, it enters through your skin.
Harmful
It is not without risk. The substance is particularly harmful to women, as it disrupts the female hormone. When you have enough bisphenol A in your body, it interacts with the female hormones and causes disruption. In general, it is associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes and nervous system disorders. There have now been hundreds of studies into this substance. Almost all indicate that there are possible risks. But the most important thing is that there is discussion among researchers about the dose that puts you at risk when exposed. The substance is in any case prohibited in baby bottles.
Safe dose
The European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) considers a maximum per day of 0.05 mg per kilo of body weight of an adult to be safe. Scientists think this is on the high side and they indicate that bisphenol A is also harmful in lower doses. 202 of the 217 studies conducted into the harmfulness of bisphenol A show that the substance can also be harmful in lower doses.
Hormone disruptor
The harmful effects of the hormone disruptor bisphenol A are still noticeable up to the fourth generation of offspring. Although this has been tested on mice, if this also applies to humans, it would mean that current pregnant women have already infected their great-grandchildren. Pregnant women who are exposed to bisphenol A daily also transfer its effects to their fetus. Development can be disrupted to such an extent that later there is impaired concentration, nervousness and other behavioral abnormalities.
What does bisphenol contain?
The problem is that you don’t know whether bisphenol A is present in a package. Manufacturers are not obliged to mention this on the packaging. This mainly concerns the substances epoxy resin and polycarbonate. Packaging with coatings, such as tin cans and the lids of vegetable jars, most likely contain this product. But it remains difficult. An indication is the triangle on the bottom of the packaging. This contains a numerical code that indicates what the packaging is made of. If it contains a 03 or 07, it may – so not definitely – contain bisphenol A. This is a collective code for several types of plastics such as polycarbonate.
The Netherlands
No action is being taken against the substance in the Netherlands. The Netherlands adheres to European guidelines (ban on use in baby bottles). This is the case in other European countries:
- Belgium bans bisphenol A in baby products for children up to 3 years old;
- Denmark bans bisphenol A in baby products for children up to 3 years old;
- Sweden bans the substance in receipts;
- France wants a complete ban on bisphenol A.
ESFA has announced that it will again conduct research into the maximum safe dose of bisphenol A. This research will be completed in the spring of 2013. Other scientists believe that countries should not wait for this and should take action sooner as long as there is not 100% certainty about the safety of bisphenol A for babies and children.