Bisphenol A: Update on newly developed data and how they address NTP’s 2008 finding of “Some Concern”

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a component of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in many commercial products including coatings and liners of food containers. Low levels of BPA can be detected in over 90% of human urine samples in the US, indicating that exposure to BPA is widespread. In 2008, the US National Toxicology Program’s Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (NTP-CERHR) expressed concerns regarding BPA’s potential health effects, and suggested improved study designs and methodologies that they believed would address those concerns. This paper discusses some of the controversial issues surrounding BPA, summarizes the current regulatory status of BPA, reviews recent pharmacokinetic studies, and describes ongoing and planned research on the effects of BPA. In addition, we evaluate two papers studying BPA neurobehavioral effects, identified by the European Food Safety Authority and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment as being valid for use in risk assessment, to determine whether they address the NTP-CERHR methodological concerns. The data from these studies would likely be sufficient for NTP to lower its concern level for neurobehavioral effects of BPA. At this time, many regulatory agencies from around the world support the use of BPA in food contact materials.