The substance bisphenol A (BPA) has been on the authorities’ warning list since 2007.
It is found in a number of soft drinks and canned products in Norway, and is suspected of having harmful effects on, among other things, the ability to reproduce, the nervous system, behavior and metabolism.
The Consumer Council’s director, Inger Lise Blyverket, is resoundingly clear in her speech to the authorities:
Ban these substances, and immediately.
Scary findings: – Increased risk for children
– Responsibility
It’s not every day that the Consumer Council demands an immediate ban on a product, points out Rasmus Hansson of the Green Party (MDG).
He believes the responsibility lies with the new health minister:
– It is Jan Christian Vestre’s responsibility that children do not get sick from environmental toxins in food from the shop shelves, says Hansson.
– As a former minister of business, health minister Vestre knows all about this problem. He is a clumsy talker. Can he also act quickly, when the Consumer Council asks him to, continues the MDG politician.
REACTING: Rasmus Hansson in the Green Party. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB
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New frontier
The potentially harmful consequences of bisphenol A have been known for a long time:
Neurological damage, reduced immunity, fertility problems, low birth weight for foetuses, overweight and obesity are among the potentially harmful consequences of the drug.
In 2023, EFSA (the EU’s food safety authority) came up with a new limit for how much of this substance can be ingested in a day, before it is considered harmful:
0.2 nanograms per kilogram of body weight.
– The European Commission has proposed a ban. It is not possible to stay within that value if you are to live and eat as usual, says Blyverket to Dagbladet.
She spoke to Nettavisen last week about the same topic.
The worker only has to move some containers that will be turned into scrap metal when the construction site is suddenly filled with toxic gas. Video: Newsflare. Reporter: Christian Fjermeros
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– Realizes the risk
Hansson in the MDG says that he is now asking Health Minister Vestre in Parliament if he wants to act quickly and guarantee low enough levels of environmental toxins in foodstuffs for people to be safe.
– I plan to follow up with a new representative proposal to remove environmental toxins from food. MDG has also previously proposed this, but was voted down by, among others, Health Minister Vestre’s party, says Hansson.
He further emphasizes that the MDG is keen to take environmental toxins much more seriously, and says that the party is considering submitting a proposal to Parliament to protect people from environmental toxins in food and drink.
– Then we can hope that the government will soon realize the risk these substances pose and announce support for such a proposal, says Hansson, who adds that he believes the substances can be one of the biggest health problems in modern society.
– Many doctors believe that the rise of allergies and diffuse diseases is related to the cocktail of synthetic substances we are forced to ingest, because the regulations are too lax, says the MDG politician.
PROGRESS IS REQUIRED: The Consumer Council’s director Inger Lise Blyverket. Photo: Consumer Council
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– Must be safe
Dagbladet has sent both Hansson’s and Blyverket’s statements to the Ministry of Health and asked for a statement from the new Minister of Health, Jan Christian Venstre (Ap).
From the Ministry of Health and Care, State Secretary Karl Kristian Bekeng replies:
– Our food must be safe. It is worrying that we ingest too much bisphenol A, and it is important that there is now a ban on its use in food contact materials. The substance is already banned in e.g. feeding bottles and packaging for baby food.
He adds that the ministry wants the ban in place as quickly as possible.
– Norway is actively participating in the work on the regulation that will be adopted in the EU very soon, and we are not gaining any time to introduce it nationally, writes Bekeng in an email to Dagbladet.
STATE SECRETARY: State Secretary Karl Kristian Bekeng. Photo: Photographer Esten Borgos, Borgos Foto AS
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– Must act
The road to a law finally being adopted in the EU system is long and tortuous, believes the Consumer Council’s director, Inger Lise Blyverket.
It could take years, she fears.
– There is no reason to wait for the EU. Much food and drink with BPA is produced in Norway, and the authorities must act. We need quick measures to reduce the levels of this dangerous substance in Norwegian bodies, says the director.
She is convinced that a ban will trigger development in the industry to find alternatives.
