Environmental Project, 901 – Evaluation of alternatives for compounds under risk assessment in the EU, Bisphenol A

Evaluation of Alternatives for Compounds under Risk Assessment in the EU, Bisphenol A

1 Introduction

Traces of bisphenol A found in canned food and beverages after contact with epoxy or polycarbonate surfaces have brought bisphenol A into focus.

Bisphenol A has shown estrogenic properties in laboratory tests and acts as an endocrine disrupter but the levels causing effects in fetuses of animals and humans are widely debated.

The aim of this project was to identify and evaluate alternatives to certain applications of bisphenol A, identified by the Danish EPA on the basis of the draft EU risk assessment for bisphenol A (EU, 2002). The following applications had been identified:

Products in contact with food
    Can coatings
    Lids for glass containers
    Polycarbonate bottles
Thermal paper (as a developing agent that reacts when the paper is heated)
Toners

These applications could, however, be extended to cover further focus areas, identified from the EU risk assessment (EU, 2002).

The EU risk assessment

Only for thermal paper recycling, the use of bisphenol A in PVC production (inhibitor, additive packages) and its use as an antioxidant in the production of PVC plasticizers, it was concluded that there is a need for limiting the risks to the water and sediment environments. Furthermore, it was concluded that there is a need for limiting the risks of eye and respiratory tract irritation, liver effects and reproductive toxicity during the manufacture of bisphenol A (EU, 2002).

For the remainder of applications/processes evaluated in the EU risk assessment of bisphenol A, it was concluded that there is either no need for risk reduction beyond what has already been applied or that there is a need for more information/testing.

Of the three applications singled out in the EU risk assessment, thermal paper was already a focus area in this project. The use of bisphenol A in PVC is expected to be of less relevance since the industry has agreed to phase out the use of bisphenol A for these purposes (EU, 2002). Furthermore, the manufacture of bisphenol A was not relevant for studies of substitution in this project and thus no other focus areas than those pinned out above were considered in this project. However, based on search in the Danish Product Register in which bisphenol compounds are registered in 72 printing ink products, the focus area on toner was extended to cover printing inks as well.

According to the EU risk assessment the applications specified in Table 1.1 are the major applications of bisphenol A in Europe, with a total EU consumption of 685,000 tonnes/year (EU, 2003A).

Table 1.1

The major applications of bisphenol A in Europe (EU, 2003A)

Use	EU distribution
	%
Polycarbonate production	71.1
Epoxy resin production	25
Phenoplast resins	1.3
Unsaturated polyester resin production	0.4
Can coating manufacture	0.4
PVC production and processing	0.3
Alkoxylated bisphenol A manufacture	0.3
Thermal paper manufacture	0.2
Polyols/polyurethane manufacture	0.1
Modified polyamide production	<0.1
Tyre manufacture	<0.1
Brake fluid	<0.1
Minor uses	0.9