Archive for April, 2012

On Friday March 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement affirming the safety of bisphenol A (BPA) use in food contact applications, stating that “the scientific evidence at this time does not suggest that the very low levels of human exposure to BPA through the diet are unsafe.”

The FDA statement strongly supports the findings of a previous study that concluded that exposure to the trace levels of BPA from thermal paper poses no health risk. Exposure levels to thermal paper are even lower than the very low dietary exposure levels cited by FDA.

The FDA statement further notes that they as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have carefully reviewed hundreds of studies claiming to have found “low dose” effects of BPA and find “no convincing evidence to support that belief.” On the contrary, FDA cited research conducted at the National Center for Toxicological Research that found no evidence of BPA toxicity at low doses in rodent studies. These and many other scientific studies provide the firm scientific basis for the FDA and EFSA conclusion that BPA exposure does not pose a health risk.

In short, the FDA statement provides the strongest possible assurance on the safety of BPA uses in food contact applications. Based on the lower exposure to BPA from thermal paper compared to dietary exposure, this statement strongly supports the safety of BPA use in thermal paper.