Bisphenol A has finally been recognized as an endocrine disruptor!

 

Bisphenolarten
For 10 years, the Environmental Health Network (RES) has alerted the scientific community,
local and regional representatives, parliamentarians, civil society stakeholders about the endocrine disruptors, those chemicals of natural or artificial origin, foreign to the body, which are likely to interfere with the functioning of the endocrine system and therefore induce deleterious effects on the body. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) now recognizes Bisphenol A as a “very worrying substance”, which represents the highest level of toxicity. It is the first time that a substance is considered “very worrying” due to its endocrine disrupting effects. Awareness has now begun!

Then, social welfare groups and mutual benefit societies should play an advocacy role. Already in 2013, our member, La Mutualité Française organised a colloquium on the topic: “Endocrine disruptors: what impacts on fragile publics? What role for professionals? “. As a matter of fact, this substance is a major health hazard, particularly for fertility, fetal development, breast cancer, diabetes, obesity or neurobehavioral disorders. And nevertheless, until now, we can still find it in some rigid plastics, some resins, and so on. The recent recognition of its toxicity happened thanks to the impulse of former Minister of the Environment Ségolène Royale and through the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses).

Following this decision, the presence of Bisphenol A in goods should be notified (whether manufactured or imported) by the industry. The purchaser would therefore be informed. This classification would also open the door to a possible limitation of the use of this substance through the setting up of temporary authorizations. This classification should now be extended to other substances such as phthalates, parabens or pesticides.