Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical substance that is commonly present in products that contain certain types of plastics. Products may include construction materials, electronics, food and drink packaging, implants, intravenous equipment and toys. In addition, BPA is also used as a base for paint and adhesive products. BPA can also end up in surface water through wastewater from factories and households.
RIVM is conducting research into the safety of chemical substances, including BPA. In addition, RIVM is studying the safety of substances that can be used as alternatives to BPA. The organisation also advises ministerial departments on the safety of substances and how that safety can be investigated.
Lowering the health-based guidance value
Humans can come into contact with BPA through food and other products (such as construction materials and electronics). New insights show that BPA may be harmful to human health at lower quantities than previously believed. This is why in 2023 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) lowered the health-based guidance value by a factor of 20,000 to a value of 0.2 ng per kilogram of body weight per day. This value establishes the amount of a substance a person can be exposed to without this having harmful effects on their health. The quantity of a substance that enters the body is referred to as the exposure.
According to EFSA calculations, the exposure of the population to BPA exceeds the health-based guidance value. This means that the risk of health effects occurring as a result of exposure to BPA cannot be ruled out. It is therefore vital that exposure to BPA is reduced. The European Commission (EC) has taken various measures to reduce exposure. A number of changes to legislation, for example, led to a ban on the use of BPA in cash register receipts or baby bottles.
Research into use of alternatives to BPA
BPA performs a number of specific functions in products. The use of BPA can be limited through the development of alternative substances that can carry out the functions of BPA. It is crucial that any substitutes used are safe for human health. This led the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to commission RIVM to carry out studies on the safety of these substitutes. RIVM carried out a review of what data was already available on the harmfulness of these substitutes. This review shows that more research into the safety of these substances is needed.
RIVM publications on BPA:
- Bisphenol A: Part 1. Facts and figures on human and environmental health issues and regulatory perspectives | RIVM
- Bisphenol A: Part 2. Recommendations for risk management | RIVM
- Assessment of recent developmental immunotoxicity studies with bisphenol A in the context of the 2015 EFSA t-TDI - PubMed (nih.gov)
RIVM publications on alternatives to BPA:
- Biobased alternatives to hormone disrupting substance in cash register receipts | RIVM
- Substitution of bisphenol A: a review of the carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and endocrine disruption potential of alternative substances.
- A prioritization strategy for functional alternatives to bisphenol A in food contact materials
