Endocrine disruption is the same

Bisphenol B, a substance sometimes used outside Europe to replace bisphenol A, also disrupts the endocrine system, according to a study by the French health safety agency Anses published Wednesday. Experts therefore recommend "to avoid" replacing the second by the first.

A substance used in China and the United States

"BPB is now used as an alternative to certain uses of bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) in some countries, such as the United States, where it is registered as an indirect additive for certain coatings and polymers. in contact with food, "says ANSES. However, it is not "manufactured (or) used as a chemical substance in Europe," according to the health agency, which publishes its work in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Despite this, "it is found in biological samples of European populations as well as in environmental environments in China," says ANSES.

Its experts have based on the "similarity of structure" between bisphenol A and B. They have "taken into account the possible effects of BPB on humans or wildlife observed in laboratory tests carried out on different species of vertebrates such as rodents or fish. Conclusion: Bisphenol B, like bisphenol A, has the "ability to interfere with the estrogen signaling pathway, reduce testosterone production (…), change spermatogenesis in rats and zebrafish, as well as reproduction. fishes ".

The rejected lobbies

Bisphenol A was classified in July 2017 at the European level as an endocrine disruptor that can have serious effects on human health. This classification of the European Chemicals Agency, ECHA, was made at the request of France.

At the end of September, the European court upheld this classification, rejecting a claim from the plastics industry that was challenging it. The use of BPA in baby bottles has been banned throughout the EU since 1 June 2011. In France, the use of BPA is prohibited in all packaging, containers and utensils for foodstuffs.