What are the limits of bisphenol A in China's National Food Safety Standards?

Limits of Bisphenol A in China's National Food Safety Standards

Bisphenol A(Bisphenol A, referred to as BPA) is a substance widely used in the chemical industry, especially as an important raw material in the manufacture of plastics. Due to its potential risks to human health, China's National Food Safety Standards strictly stipulate the use and migration of bisphenol A. This paper will analyze the limit requirements of bisphenol A and related standards in China in detail.

What is bisphenol A?

Bisphenol A is a colorless crystalline solid with good thermal stability and mechanical properties. It is widely used in the production of polycarbonate (PC), epoxy resin and other plastic products. BPA is considered to interfere with the human endocrine system and pose health risks to children and adults, so countries have adopted strict restrictions on its use and migration.

China's "food safety national standards" on bisphenol A limit requirements

According to the relevant provisions of China's National Food Safety Standard (GB 9685-2016), bisphenol A is classified as a permitted additive for food contact materials and products, but its use must meet specific migration restrictions. In particular, the migration of bisphenol A into food contact materials must not exceed 0.05 mg/kg. This standard ensures that, under normal conditions of use, BPA ingested by consumers does not pose a significant risk to human health.

GB 9685-2016 also specifies the experimental method for the migration of bisphenol A in food contact materials. Experiments usually use migration tests under simulated high temperature, acidic or alkaline conditions to ensure that the test results can reflect the amount of migration under actual use. These regulations provide clear technical guidance for the production of food packaging materials.

Bisphenol A limit requirements in practical application

In actual production, the limit requirements of bisphenol A put forward strict technical requirements for the manufacturers of food contact materials. For example, companies that produce food-grade plastic containers or packaging materials must ensure that the amount of bisphenol A in their products meets national standards. If it does not meet the standards, the product will not be able to enter the market, and the enterprise will also face hefty legal and economic penalties.

In order to meet these requirements, manufacturers often use modified materials or add barrier layers to reduce the migration of bisphenol A. The relevant regulatory authorities will also regularly sample and test the food contact materials on the market to ensure that they meet the limit requirements of bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A Limited Legal Basis

China's limit of bisphenol A is not isolated, but the result of international standards. For example, the Codex Alimentarius and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both have similar requirements for bisphenol A migration. This consistency not only reflects China's great importance to food safety, but also shows China's role in the formulation of global food safety standards.

How to detect bisphenol A migration?

In order to ensure that the migration of bisphenol A meets the standard, manufacturers usually use advanced technologies such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or mass spectrometry for detection. These methods can accurately measure the migration of bisphenol A to ensure that it is within the allowable range. Relevant testing agencies will also provide testing services according to national standards and provide technical support for manufacturers.

Summary

The limit of bisphenol A in China's National Food Safety Standard reflects the country's strict supervision of food safety and the high attention to public health. Through scientific limit standards and testing methods, this policy not only ensures the safety of consumers, but also promotes the technological progress of the food contact materials industry. In the future, with the deepening of scientific research and the development of technology, China's BPA limit requirements may be further improved to meet the new food safety challenges.