JRC Report on Bisphenol A and baby bottles: challenges and perspectives

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Despite the fact that for more than a decade many toxicological studies were carried out world wide, there is not yet a full understanding of the impact of Bisphenol A (BPA) on human health. This continues to generate discussion and is currently at the centre of political debate, particularly as BPA may migrate into infant formula preparations from polycarbonate baby bottles, which in turn poses a special concern about its possible effect on the development of infants and young children.
Against this background, the JRC's IHCP has recently reviewed the results of various risk assessment studies carried out on BPA, which are presented in this report.
The JRC authors note that most of the current uncertainties derive from diverging opinions on the reliability of studies carried out with different methodologies. On this base, they observe that future toxicological studies aimed at reducing these uncertainties will have a higher probability of success if they are agreed preliminarily in a context of international collaboration between academic laboratories and governmental bodies, and if they are carried out under the supervision of an international panel of independent experts.
Considering that some BPA-containing products (particularly polycarbonate baby bottles) are already being banned in some countries and/or are being progressively and voluntarily phased out by the industry, the authors note that it is likewise important to assess the safety of BPA-free substitute materials.