Last year, the French food safety agency ANSES raised fresh toxicological fears about the substance – both through dietary and non-dietary exposure. While EFSA said it did not agree with those concerns it vowed to update its risk assessment whenever new data became available.
Dietary and non-dietary exposure
The project, initially tabled by the body’s CEF panel in February 2012, will involve a risk assessment of exposure to dietary and non-dietary sources of the substance. It will be based on occurrence data available in the public domain and scientific literature, said EFSA.
It will also consider exposure of vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, infants and children. The mandate will include any existing biomonitoring data – information based on the sampling and analysis of human tissues and fluids – and will compare results with the calculated exposure
The Parma-based agency has asked for member States, research institutions, academia, food business operators, packaging business operators and others to submit data on BPA – in particular:
1. occurrence data in food and beverages intended for human consumption,
2. migration data from food contact materials,
3. occurrence data in food contacts materials.
It said that any data provided may be used in its opinion depending on its quality. Exclusion criteria will also be laid out.
The deadline for submission is 31 July 2012.
