The EEA’s research drew from the Horizon 2020 initiative, HBM4EU, which conducted an extensive analysis of chemical levels in European citizens.
In a concerning revelation, the European Environment Agency (EEA) issued a report on Thursday highlighting the pervasive presence of bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting chemical commonly found in food packaging, within the bodies of nearly all Europeans. This revelation has ignited potential health concerns across the continent.
The EEA’s research drew from the Horizon 2020 initiative, HBM4EU, which conducted an extensive analysis of chemical levels in European citizens. Shockingly, BPA was detected in the urine of a staggering 92 percent of adult participants hailing from 11 different European countries.
Furthermore, the EEA disclosed that within the 11 nations under scrutiny, the percentage of adults surpassing the maximum recommended BPA levels, as stipulated by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in their April review, ranged from 71 to a staggering 100 percent.
It’s noteworthy that the EFSA had notably reduced the maximum daily intake of BPA permissible for consumers, lowering it by a staggering 20,000 times to a mere 0.2 billionths of a grammeme from the previous four millionths of a grammeme.
While bisphenol A was once utilized in the production of baby bottles before being banned in Europe, the US, and various other nations a decade ago, it continues to be employed in the manufacturing of plastic for specific food and beverage packaging. Consequently, a majority of individuals may encounter this chemical through the consumption of such products.
Numerous studies have suggested a potential link between BPA exposure and various health disorders linked to hormone disruption, encompassing conditions like breast cancer and infertility.
France notably stands as the sole country to have entirely prohibited BPA, while both the EU and the US have imposed restrictions on its use and expressed intentions to further diminish its prevalence.
However, a notable disparity exists concerning the permissible daily consumption of BPA that doesn’t pose a health risk over one’s lifetime.
The European Medicines Agency, overseeing drug approvals, has contested the EFSA’s new recommended maximum levels, casting doubts on the methodology and suggesting that the EFSA may have acted hastily, particularly since a definitive causal link hasn’t been established in either animal or human studies.
Nevertheless, the EEA’s comprehensive analysis has led to the conclusion that people’s exposure to BPA is “well above acceptable health safety levels” based on updated research data. This exposure presents a potential health risk to millions of individuals, according to the EEA.
The study assessed levels of bisphenol A, S, and F in the urine of 2,756 participants across 11 countries between 2014 and 2020, including Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, and Switzerland.