§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What account they have taken of recently published research conducted by Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, which found that exposure to bisphenol, a component of plastic bottles, could be linked to chromosomal abnormalities in unborn children and to miscarriages. [HL2700]
§ Baroness Andrews:The Government are keeping the safety of bisphenol-A under review. We are aware of this recently published study which put forward the hypothesis that a slight increase in abnormalities seen in the eggs of female mice might be attributed to bisphenol-A leaching from damaged mouse cages.
In 2001 the Committee on Toxicity considered reports of apparent low dose effects associated with bisphenol-A. It advised that given the uncertain significance of the effects it was not appropriate to use such findings as the basis of a human health risk assessment.
Further research has been commissioned to investigate the implications of low level exposure to bisphenol-A. Meanwhile, industry is being encouraged to reduce levels of bisphenol-A to the lowest level possible.