A closer look at the damaging effects of BPA on the foetal brain was required, with a view to determining the possible consequences for neuro-developmental difficulties such as autism, which is on the rise. Once again, science turns to regulatory provisions. In France, BPA has been banned in all food containers, regardless of the age of the consumer. In Belgium, this provision only applies to children under the age of three, and thus does not reply to pregnant women and their unborn children. Does the research mentioned above, alongside other publications, justify extending the precautionary principle which has been applied to young children to pregnant women and unborn children? Can we extrapolate the data from rats to issues affecting human health? 

Are humans really at risk?

We know that BPA is detectable in the urine of the majority of the population. Some studies in humans suggest a link with changes in the onset of puberty. Moreover, the ‘mixture’ effect with other chemical substances in our environment should not be overlooked. We are exposed to hundreds of chemical compounds. The mixture effect refers to the combination of low or very low doses of several substances which do not lead to the effect individually, but which results from the combination of these substances. Moreover, the environmental factors which humans face are not limited to endocrine disruptors. Thus, quantitative and qualitative variations in the supply of nutrients may have consequences which are just as severe when they are combined as exposure to endocrine disruptors. In this context, Delphine Franssen has shown that the combination of a prenatal nutritional deficit and post-natal early exposure to DES leads to combined effects, with a total loss of the receptiveness of the GnRH system to leptin. Concerns around the combined effects of different ‘stress factors’ are greatest for the foetus and new-born, and can have life-long consequences. Both in rats and humans, foetal life and the peri-natal period are key moments when the body establishes mechanisms to adapt to the environment. If these mechanisms are disrupted within the body during development, the impact may be felt throughout life. 

Are issues restricted to puberty?

Beyond the effects of BPA on the development of puberty, several studies suggest that early exposure to BPA may be associated with an increased risk of obesity, neurodevelopmental anomalies and behavioural difficulties. These pathologies present a high cost in terms of treatment. It has been shown that exposure to endocrine disruptors in Europe contributes substantially to the increase in illnesses affecting the reproductive system, metabolism and neurodevelopment, with costs estimated at close to 160 billion euros per year. 

Moreover, it appears that products which are marketed as replacing BPA may also have endocrine disruptive effects. In April, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that the BPA case would be reopened. The conclusions are eagerly awaited, as well as proposals which the European Commission has been working on since December 2013 for the criteria to identify endocrine disruptors. It is to be hoped that ‘strength’ is not one of the criteria selected. In line with other studies, the work carried out in the Liège lab stresses the inadequacy and potential incongruousness of trying to identify a ‘threshold’ dose depending on the strength of a chemical agent such as BPA.