SfE respond to article in The Independent on bisphenol A

The convenors of the SfE Endocrine Disruptors Special Interest Group, Prof Richard Sharpe and Prof Ieuan Hughes, wrote:

"The article entitled “Breast cancer charity calls for ban on food packaging chemical” which appeared online in The Independent on Tuesday 30 October contains a number of misleading assumptions and we are concerned that the article may cause unnecessary worry to breast cancer patients and women generally.

"There is currently no robust scientific evidence that exposure to the substance bisphenol A at any concentration causes breast cancer in humans. Demonstrating an "association" between increased exposure to bisphenol A and an increase in breast cancer rates over recent decades does not prove that the former causes the latter; numerous other influential factors have changed also, such as diet. There is no robust scientific evidence that the current (low) levels of exposure to bisphenol A in the general population are sufficient to adversely affect our health."

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SfE Endocrine Disruptors SIG