2023-04-19 11:56:59
The UFC-Que Choisir association alerts this Wednesday, April 19 to the presence of bisphenols in everyday products and calls for their total ban in food packaging and products intended for children. At the same time, the European Food Agency calls for a drastic reduction in consumer exposure to bisphenols.
► What are bisphenols?
Bisphenols are a family of chemical substances. The best known of them, bisphenol A, has been classified since 2015 in France as an endocrine disruptor and banned in food containers. It was placed in 2017, on the initiative of the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES), on the list of substances of concern of the European Chemicals Agency.
To remedy the ban on bisphenol A, manufacturers are using other bisphenols as substitutes. However, according to UFC-Que Choisir, these are “endocrine disruptors as dangerous as their cousin”. In a report published in February 2022, ANSES already suspected certain bisphenols of having the same endocrine disrupting properties as bisphenol A, i.e. serious potential risks for human health (miscarriages, cognitive delays, etc.).
► Where do we find it?
Toys, textiles, tin can coatings, glasses… Bisphenols are widely used for the manufacture of everyday plastic objects, but not only. The UFC revealed the presence of different bisphenols in 6 out of 14 baby bottles and cups tested, as well as in 7 out of 12 teethers.
“The latter are all the more at risk as they can be chewed throughout the day by babies”, points out the consumer association, pointing out that endocrine disruptors are largely harmful at the early stages of child development.
► What does the UFC demand?
The UFC calls for the end, pure and simple, of the use of bisphenols for a whole series of products. The association argues that, “with regard to the maximum levels authorized in products, the regulations authorize significant levels of presence”even if “that the ability of endocrine disruptors to act at very low doses would justify a ban even at trace levels”.
“In view of the particularly worrying results of his test”, the association therefore calls on the authorities in France and in Europe to banish “any use of bisphenols in food packaging and children’s products”.
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