France says bisphenol A may cause cancer in babies after birth
France announced on Tuesday that it would call for A Europe-wide ban on thermal paper containing bisphenol A after the National Health Safety Agency said the chemical could cause cancer in babies later in life. In A previous report, the agency urged pregnant women to avoid eating food stored in cans containing BPA or drinking water from fountains containing BPA. It also advised pregnant women not to touch store checkout counters to print receipts and urged further research into the risk of exposure of cashiers to BPA.
If pregnant women ingest, inhale or repeatedly touch products containing BPA, they pose A health risk to their unborn babies, the agency said.
BPA is A common chemical used in CDS, plastic food containers, plastic bottles and food cans, as well as thermal paper used in cash register receipts or ATM slips.
Several studies have linked BPA to brain and nervous system problems, reproductive disorders and obesity. The European Union, the United States and Canada have all banned BPA in baby bottles.
Following the report by the National Health Safety Agency, France will recommend that the European Commission ban the use of BPA in thermal paper receipt materials and that manufacturers look for alternatives, said Delphine Barteau, the French environment minister.
The report is a collection of global research on the subject as of July 2012. National Health Safety Agency experts concluded that exposure to certain levels of BPA poses A risk to fetal mammary glands, "increases the susceptibility of breast tumors" and may pose a risk to both sexes. There may also be risks to the brain, metabolism and reproductive system of the foetus.
Following the recommendations of the National Health Safety Agency and other agencies, the French parliament voted in December last year to pass A law that will ban the use of bisphenol A in baby food packaging from 2013 and in all food packaging from 2015.
BPA is still widely used in plastic products around the world. The United States announced last year that it would not ban BPA altogether because there was no evidence it was harmful to adults.