The American Chemistry Council (ACC) noted Wednesday that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reaffirmed the safety of bisphenol A (BPA) in common consumer products such as baby bottles, water bottles and food containers. In response to recent controversy, an EFSA expert scientific panel reviewed new scientific data and concluded that their previously established safe limit for bisphenol A "provides a sufficient margin of safety for the protection of the consumer, including fetuses and newborns." These findings strongly support the conclusion that bisphenol A is not harmful to children or adults at the very low levels to which people are exposed from use of consumer products.

"The safety of our products is our top priority," stated Steven G. Hentges of the American Chemistry Council's Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group. "The conclusions reported today provide strong reassurance to consumers that they are not at risk from use of consumer products made from polycarbonate plastic."

The EFSA expert panel, which focused on how bisphenol A is handled in the body, noted significant differences between humans and rodents, such as the fact that people metabolize and excrete BPA far more quickly than rodents. Because of these differences, people at all life stages from the fetus to adults are not at risk from exposure to low levels of bisphenol A. As noted by the expert panel, this body of evidence further limits the relevance of low-dose effects of BPA reported in some rodent studies.

The new EFSA findings are consistent with many other recent comprehensive evaluations. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration, the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and the European Union have all recently found that bisphenol A is not a health concern at the very low levels present in some consumer products. That conclusion is further supported by the largest and most comprehensive study to date on the potential health risks of bisphenol A, conducted by RTI International and recently published in Toxicological Sciences.

Today, Americans live longer, safer and healthier lives due to the benefits of chemistry. Bisphenol A is used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, both of which are used in a wide range of common consumer products. From baby bottles to bicycle helmets, and eyeglass lenses to components of life-saving medical devices, products made from polycarbonate plastic have been safely used for 50 years and continue to be safely used today.

The full report from the EFSA expert scientific panel is available at http://www.efsa.europa.eu.