Dutch Agency Issues First BPA Report

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has released the first part of its bisphenol A (BPA) report, which provides an overview of regulatory and scientific developments through March 2014. Slated for publication in 2015, the second part of the report will assess the European Food Safety Authority’s final opinion on the risks of BPA exposure for consumers; a Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks assessment of patients exposed to BPA; and two advisory reports from the Dutch Health Council on prenatal BPA exposure and BPA analogues.

In addition to summarizing what is known about BPA’s environmental impact, the current report addresses human BPA exposure via consumer products, food, medical devices, and inhalation during the manufacture of BPA-containing epoxy resins. Based on this overview, RIVM concludes that despite various studies associating BPA with adverse immune effects, obesity, diabetes, and prostate cancer, “[t]here is still no conclusive evidence available that proves a low-dose effect.”

“BPA and exposure to BPA are primarily managed by regulations at the EU level,” notes RIVM. “The European Commission is also working on a criteria document to identify and define endocrine disruption and endocrine disruptors, which may affect the discussion around BPA as a possible endocrine disruptor. The outcomes of these initiatives may be expected in 2014 and later, and may have major implications for other regulatory frameworks.”

Issue 537