Bisphenol A in North America affected by the safety crisis

Due to the highly controversial security, BPA has become a “star” chemical in North America in the recent period. According to the British Chemical World report, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently published a draft report on the harm of bisphenol A to human health, pointing directly to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before its safety. Evaluation. The Canadian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Environment also issued a joint statement on April 18, starting a 60-day public comment on the following day to decide whether or not to take control measures for BPA. The industry believes that the unprecedented scale of the current storm of bisphenol A will directly affect the development of the entire industry and expects more in-depth research to clarify this issue.

U.S. latest survey results draw attention

Bisphenol A is mainly used for the production of polycarbonate. It is widely used in the packaging of canned foods and beverages, as well as sealants used in dental fillings. It is particularly effective in preventing acidic vegetables and fruits from corroding metal containers from the inside. As infants and children are especially vulnerable to pollutants and toxins, the health hazards of bisphenol A released after heating in polycarbonate plastic bottles have long attracted human concern.

After a period of investigation, the FDA is convinced that a small amount of bisphenol A does not pose a hazard to humans, and therefore has always supported the use of bisphenol A-based materials in food packaging. On April 15 this year, the NIH published a draft report that believes that bisphenol A may induce serious reproductive and developmental problems such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and premature puberty. The survey results prompted FDA legislators to reconsider their assessment of the safety of bisphenol A.

John Duggie, a Democrat from Michigan, who is a member of the US House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee, said: “These assessments are contrary to the previous FDA's conclusions. Therefore, for the safety of infants and children, I hope that FDA is willing to reconsider its The phenol A safety position."

The American Chemistry Society continues to maintain the safety of bisphenol A, because NIH confirmed in its April 15 report that the chemical "will not seriously threaten human reproduction and development." However, it sent a letter to the FDA on April 17 requesting an update on the evaluation of the safety of food contact with bisphenol A, taking into account the latest NIH survey data.

Canada launches 60-day public comment

Canada is the first country in the world to complete a risk assessment for bisphenol A. The country’s Minister of Health, Tony Clement, and Environment Minister John Baird announced on April 18 that the government is taking actions to protect the health and environment of its citizens from BPA, and will ban imports. Sales and advertising of polycarbonate bottles containing bisphenol A began with a 60-day public comment period beginning on April 19.

Clement said: "Since the Prime Minister put forward a chemical management plan on December 8, 2006, Canada has conducted a risk assessment on several chemicals for the first time in the world. We are currently taking a similar action against BPA, because this It is our responsibility to ensure that the family, citizens, and our environment are not threatened by a potentially harmful chemical substance.” The Health Canada's survey of bisphenol A's assessment focused mainly on newborns and children under 18 months of age. The influence of infants, of course, is also on the range of health risks for citizens of all ages.

To be cautious, the Canadian government proposed reducing the exposure of bisphenol A to the environment exposed to infants and newborns, and proposed a series of action plans, including the prohibition of the use of polycarbonate feeding bottles, and the use of bisphenol A in infants. The formulation of formula milk cans has strict standards, as well as the development of food packaging materials that replace bisphenol A together with related industries.

Security storms threaten the development of the industry

In fact, some large Canadian retailers have responded to this. Forzani Group, Canada’s largest sporting goods seller, said it will remove all potable water containing BPA bottles from its shelves as soon as possible. Canadian tire companies, Wal-Mart Canada and others have also made similar statements. Some companies also launched an original price repurchase program to recover beverage bottles containing bisphenol A.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the director of the Canadian Packaging Association responsible for government relations, Lawrence Dworkin said that how to handle bisphenol A-based plastics is a problem for container manufacturers. Although the industry has begun work on the study of alternatives, it has not yet been able to develop suitable alternatives to ensure that the internal can not be rotted while the metal cans are not corroded.

According to statistics from chemical analysts, the current global production capacity of bisphenol A is 3.7 million tons, of which more than 1 million tons/year of production capacity is distributed in the United States, and Dow Chemical, Bayer, and Hexion Specialty Chemicals and several other companies It also accounts for half of the US capacity.

Dow Chemical spokesman Mark Walton said that BPA is one of several chemicals being evaluated by Canadian environmental law, and this assessment will enable the authorities to "consider any form of regulatory action." Dow Chemical's recent plans related to bisphenol A are unlikely to change. The company and some regulatory teams have re-examined BPA and still failed to discover its health threats. They hope to have a deeper understanding Study to clarify this issue.