Health Canada to host WHO scientific experts’ meeting on bisphenol A

Ottawa, ON – Canada will be hosting a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting of scientific experts to discuss bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging. The meeting will take place in October 2010 in Ottawa.

The meeting, which is organized by the World Health Organization’s Food Safety Program, will involve scientific experts from around the world. The goal is to develop guidance for food safety regulators internationally on the potential risks associated with the use of the chemical in food packaging materials, based on the latest scientific information, and to identify any additional knowledge gaps.

Data stemming from the federal government’s Research Program on BPA, announced in 2008, will be submitted to this experts meeting as part of the review.

BPA is an industrial chemical used to make a hard, clear plastic known as polycarbonate, which is used in many consumer products. The chemical is also found in epoxy resins, which act as a protective lining on the inside of metal-based food and beverage cans.