The harmful chemical bisphenol A (BPA) has been detected in the organisms of almost all participants in a new EU study. The study “measured chemicals in the bodies of people in Europe and detected BPA in the urine of 92 percent of adult participants from 11 European countries,” said a European Environment Agency report released Thursday.
The proportion of people who were found to have levels above the recommended maximum level is between 71 and 100 percent in the individual countries. The study referred to the recommended maximum daily amount of bisphenol A set by the European Food Authority, which had recently been revised downwards.
The synthetic chemical is contained in numerous beverage and food packaging, meaning consumers come into contact with it when eating and drinking. The hormone-altering BPA is linked to breast cancer and infertility, among other things. France is the only country in Europe to completely ban bisphenol A in food contact materials. The EU and the USA have already severely restricted its use and are planning further reductions.
However, there is disagreement about the amount a person can be exposed to every day without risking health problems. According to the European Food Safety Authority, BPA pollution “poses a potential health risk for millions of people.”
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