Health chiefs issued a fresh warning today about rising levels of toxic “sex-changing” chemicals found in food and drink – saying millions are likely to be over-consuming.
Bisphenol A is found in parts of water containers, food containers and reusable bottles because it Plastic more flexible and harder to break.
But the “sex-changing” chemical, also known as BPA, mimics the female sex hormone estrogen and has been linked to low sperm count and male infertility, as well as breast and prostate cancer.
EU officials have now said the current recommended exposure to BPA from food and drink is 20,000 times too high.
Officials made this decision after reviewing 800 new studies.
BPA is most commonly found in refillable beverage bottles and food storage containers, and in protective coatings and liners for food and beverage cans (stock photo)
These include one in mice that suggested high BPA exposure caused the immune system to mistakenly attack the body.
Concerns have been raised for years that BPA from packaging can find its way directly into food and drink and potentially harm the body.
EU regulators previously ruled in 2015 that a safe daily exposure is 4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight due to the small amounts that leak from plastic packaging.
Experts from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have now revised this to 0.2 nanograms per kilogram and day.
With one nanogram equal to one billionth of a gram, this means the new safe level is 20,000 times lower than the old limit.
EU experts estimate that all age groups exceed the BPA-safe threshold on average “by two to three orders of magnitude”.
The UK currently follows the old EU BPA security level set in 2015 and adopted after Brexit.
These rules restricted the use of BPA in baby bottles and infant formula packaging in both the bloc and the UK.
DR Claude Lambré, chair of EFSA’s panel on food contact materials, enzymes and processing aids, said their analysis helped shed light on the toxicity of BPA.
“In the studies, we saw an increase in the percentage of a type of white blood cell called a T-helper in the spleen,” he said.
“They play a key role in our cellular immune mechanisms and such an increase can lead to the onset of allergic pneumonia and autoimmune diseases.”
The EFSA report states that mice with this effect were exposed to an equivalent human dose of 8.2 nanograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day.
EFSA experts have also identified how BPA can have potentially harmful effects on the health of reproductive, developmental and metabolic systems.
They noted that efforts by EU lawmakers in 2015 likely reduced people’s average exposure to BPA, making their estimate of exposure levels “conservative.”
EFSA’s findings now officially go to the European Commission, which could push through a new limit on BPA use across the bloc to protect consumers.
France has already banned the use of BPA in all food packaging, containers and cutlery for health reasons.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
