In an article published on September 8, 2017 by regulatory news provider Chemical Watch, reporter Emma Davies summarized some of the responses submitted to the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) public consultation on the safety reevaluation protocol for bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7). The consultation was launched on June 30, 2017 and closed on September 3, 2017 (FPF reported).
Paul Whaley, PhD student at the Lancaster Environment Center, Lancaster University, UK, and associate editor for systematic reviews at the peer-reviewed journal Environment International, welcomed EFSA’s “ambition to use systematic methods, where possible.” However, he was critical regarding the inclusion of narrative methods as this could weaken the systematic review approach. U.S. non-profit research institute The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) was also pleased about the use of systematic review and particularly welcomed the protocol’s focus on low-dose exposures which are relevant for human health. Further, TEDX advised EFSA to address BPA replacements in the near future. The U.S. non-profit organization Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC) commented that “the protocol and the report should allow independent reproduction, at least of the systematic review components.” The U.S. medical organization Endocrine Society deemed the protocol “a significant improvement over prior evaluations of BPA proposed or completed by EFSA.” However, EFSA’s prior reviews of BPA literature did not use the new criteria and “the entirety of the literature must be examined under this new protocol,” the organization pointed out.
Davies noted that the submitted comments are not yet publicly available and expected to be published by EFSA at the end of 2017. On September 14, 2017, EFSA will hold a stakeholder workshop in Brussels, Belgium, to present and further discuss the BPA hazard assessment protocol (FPF reported).
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Emma Davies (September 8, 2017). “NGOs welcome EFSA’s approach to BPA review.” Chemical Watch
