Taiwan Today

The Environmental Protection Administration said it has listed bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic molecule widely used in the production of plastic products such as toys, microwavable containers and polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles, as a category IV toxic chemical substance. The EPA said it is making the move because of the potential health risks to humans posed by the chemical, which is thought to be an endocrine disruptor. Following the BPA’s new listing, manufacturers that use the chemical in their products will be required to file declarations from Jan. 1 next year with the EPA and report the BPA content in the products as well as the levels of the substance released. Manufacturers that fail to file declarations will be fined between NT$100,000 (US$3,043) and NT$500,000, according to the EPA’s Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substance Management. The EPA has already conducted tests on the BPA content of randomly selected plastic products, with results expected to be released next month. Yuan Shaw-ying, director-general of the department, noted that public concerns about the possible negative health effects of BPA have increased in recent times. He pointed out the Department of Health has announced recently that a new regulation limiting BPA emissions to 30 parts per billion will be put in place. “If the amount of BPA used in such products as plastic baby bottles is excessively high, this could cause harm to the nervous centrals and reproductive systems of users,” he said. Yuan noted that U.S. authorities have set the tolerable daily intake of BPA, or the amount that can safely be ingested each day, at 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. Meanwhile, the EU has set a limit of 30 ppb for BPA emissions, and Canada has banned the production of plastic baby bottles using the chemical, he said. The EPA reminded the public to thoroughly wash plastic containers with detergent and cold water before use and to discard the containers if any scratches or cracks formed in them. Gaston Wu, a professor in National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Chemistry, said that PC containers bleed BPA when they come in contact with liquids that are high in acidity, including vinegar, lemon juice and alcohol, and during the process of being scrubbed cleaned or cleaned with detergent. (SB)