BPA: HELPING YOU MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE
We at the Zyliss brand are committed to the safety of all its consumers and are vigilant
about staying current with emerging scientific findings about the materials used in our
products. Concerns have been raised recently about potential health effects of
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical commonly used to improve the performance of some
plastics.
BPA has been used safely for years by many manufacturers of consumer products, and
its use fully complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other historically
stringent public health regulators in the European Union and Japan.
Zyliss uses polycarbonate plastics that contain BPA in a small number of products.
Because we believe strongly in helping consumers make informed choices, the
following information was compiled to better inform our consumers about BPA.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About BPA
- Q: What is BPA?
- A: Bisphenol-A ("BIS–fen–all A") is a chemical commonly used by many manufacturers as a building block of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.
- Q: Why is polycarbonate used in consumer products?
- A: Polycarbonate is used because of its unmatched ability to offer extraordinary
durability, glass like clarity and resistance to stains and odors.
- Q: Does BPA leach into the food that it comes into contact with?
- A: Researchers from government agencies, academia, and industry worldwide have
studied the potential for BPA to migrate from polycarbonate products into foods and
beverages. These studies consistently show that the potential migration of BPA into
food is extremely low, generally less than 5 parts per billion under conditions typical for
uses of polycarbonate products. At this level, a consumer would have to ingest more
than 1,300 pounds of food and beverages in contact with polycarbonate every day for
an entire lifetime to exceed the safe level of BPA set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Consequently, human exposure to BPA from polycarbonate plastics
is minimal and poses no known health risk.
The use of polycarbonate plastic for food contact applications continues to be
recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European
Commission Scientific Committee on Food, the United Kingdom Food Standards
Agency, the Japan Ministry for Health and Welfare and other regulatory authorities
worldwide.
- Q: Is BPA in Zyliss products?
- A: Only a few Zyliss kitchen gadgets are made with polycarbonate plastics that contain
BPA. The use of plastics made with BPA in Zyliss products fully complies with
standards from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as the historically
stringent regulators of public health issues in the European Union. Zyliss products that
may come into direct food contact are the Sports Bottle, Mix-n-Measure Measuring
Cups, Gravy Separator and Baster.
- Q: Which government and regulatory agencies have reviewed polycarbonate?
- A: Many government and regulatory agencies, including those listed below, have
conducted comprehensive testing and review of polycarbonate and determined that it
poses no health risk to humans.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (USA)
- The Food and Drug Administration (USA)
- The European Commission Scientific Committee on Food
- The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
- Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
- Q: What is the latest government-sponsored research conducted on BPA and
polycarbonate?
- A: In early 2007, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced its findings
regarding BPA. The study reviewed all available data from the last five years and
concluded that people's dietary exposure to BPA is well below the Daily Tolerable
Intake Level. In fact, the study recommended raising the Daily Tolerable Intake Level.
Read more on this study at www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press_room/press_release/pr_bpa.html
- Q: Where can I find additional information on polycarbonate and BPA?
- A: Consumers can visit the following websites for more information:
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