Japan to Examine Bisphenol A Safety

Tokyo, July 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese health ministry on Tuesday asked the Food Safety Commission to assess the safety of bisphenol A, a chemical compound used in polycarbonate plastic products like baby bottles.

The examination, expected to take a year, is designed to see whether only miniscule amounts of bisphenol A released from products could affect children’s health.

In April, the U.S. government said that animal tests showed that only miniscule levels of bisphenol A could affect children’s nerve systems and behavior. Canada promptly banned the import and sale of polycarbonate-based baby bottles.

In addition, Japan’s National Institute of Health Sciences recently found that even very small amounts of the compound could disrupt human reproductive functions.

In Japan, bisphenol A is used in polycarbonate baby bottles and the coating inside cans.

The Japanese ministry urged mothers to refrain from excessively heating baby bottles and pregnant women to avoid eating too much canned food.END

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