France's ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in all packaging, containers, and utensils intended for children up to 3 years of age became effective January 1, 2013. The law also suspends the use of BPA in all packaging, containers, and utensils intended to be used in direct contact with food, effective January 1, 2015. Belgium's law banning BPA-containing food containers for children up to age three also became effective January 1, 2013. At the European Union (EU) level, the first amendment to the Plastics Regulations (EU) No 10/2011, which became effective May 1, 2011, bans the use of BPA in the manufacture of polycarbonate infant feeding bottles. In 2006, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set a Tolerable Daily Intake (the estimated amount that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable risk) of 0.05 mg/kg body weight per day for BPA. EFSA also determined that intakes of BPA through food and drink, for adults, infants, and children are all well below the TDI. EFSA, which reconfirmed that opinion in 2010, is reviewing new data and plans on releasing an updated scientific opinion in November 2013.

In response to your second question about other bisphenolic-type materials, some government agencies have begun to review available data on these compounds. For example, on March 25, 2013, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) published an opinion on human health risks associated with BPA. In the section on alternatives to BPA, ANSES stated that there is not enough toxicological data available to assess the toxicity of bisphenol AF, AP, B, F, S, M, or bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE). As a result, the Agency concluded that it is not possible to assess the health risks associated with the use of these compounds in consumer products and urged that care be exercised with regard to their use.