toxicity data that no new study could be identified, which would call for a revision of the current tdi". the panel noted that some studies conducted on developing animals have suggested bpa-related effects of possible toxicological relevance, in particular biochemical changes in brain, immune-modulatory effects and enhanced susceptibility to breast tumours but considered that those studies had several shortcomings so the relevance of these findings for human health could not be assessed. on 25 november 2010, the european union executive commission said it planned to ban the manufacturing by 1 march 2011 and ban the marketing and market placement of polycarbonate baby bottles containing the organic compound bisphenol a by 1 june 2011, according to john dalli, commissioner in charge of health and consumer policy. this was backed by a majority of eu governments. the ban was called an over-reaction by richard sharpe, of the medical research council's human reproductive sciences unit, who said to be unaware of any convincing evidence justifying the measure and criticized it as being done on political, rather than scientific grounds. in january 2011 use of bisphenol a in baby bottles was forbidden in all eu-countries. after reviewing more recent research, in 2012 efsa made a decision to re-evaluate the human risks associated with exposure to bpa. they completed a draft assessment of consumer exposure to bpa in july 2013 and at that time asked for public input from all stakeholders to assist in forming a final report, which is expected to be completed in 2014. in january 2014, efsa presented a second part of the draft opinion which discussed the human health risks posed by bpa. the draft opinion was accompanied by an eight-week public consultation and also included adverse effects on the liver and kidney as related to bpa. from this it was recommended that the current tdi to be revised. in january 2015 efsa indicated that the tdi was reduced from 50 to 4 µg/kg body weight/day – a recommendation, as national legislatures make the laws. the eu commission issued a new regulation regarding the use of bisphenol a in thermal paper on 12 december 2016. according to this new regulation, thermal paper containing bisphenol a cannot be placed on the eu market after 2 january 2020. this regulation came into effect on 2 january 2017 but there is a transition period of three years. on 12 january 2017, bpa was added to the candidate list of substances of very high concern (svhc). candidate svhc listing is a first step towards restricting the importing and use of a chemical in the eu. if the european chemical agency assigns svhc status, the presence of bpa in a product at a concentration above 0.1% must be disclosed to a purchaser (with different rules for consumer and business purchasers). in february 2016, france had announced that it intended to propose bpa as a candidate svhc by 8 august 2016. denmark in may 2009, the danish parliament passed a resolution to ban the use of bpa in baby bottles, which had not been enacted by april 2010. in march 2010, a temporary ban was declared by the health minister. belgium in march 2010, senator philippe mahoux proposed legislation to ban bpa in food contact plastics. in may 2011, senators dominique tilmans and jacques brotchi proposed legislation to ban bpa from thermal paper. france on 5 february 2010, the french food safety agency (afssa) questioned the previous assessments of the health risks of bpa, especially in regard to behavioral effects observed in rat pups following exposure in utero and during the first months of life. in april 2010, the affsa suggested the adoption of better labels for food products containing bpa. on 24 march 2010, the french senate unanimously approved a proposition of law to ban bpa from baby bottles. the national assembly (lower house) approved the text on 23 june 2010, which has been applicable law since 2 july 2010. on 12 october 2011, the french national assembly voted a law forbidding the use of bisphenol a in products aimed at less than 3-year-old children for 2013, and 2014 for all food containers. on 9 october 2012, the french senate adopted unanimously the law proposition to suspend manufacture, import, export and marketing of all food containers that include bisphenol a for 2015. the ban of bisphenol a in 2013 for food products designed for children less than 3-years-old was maintained. germany on 19 september 2008, the german federal institute for risk assessment (bundesinstitut für risikobewertung, bfr) stated that there was no reason to change the current risk assessment for bisphenol a on the basis of the lang study. in october 2009, the german environmental organization bund für umwelt und naturschutz deutschland requested a ban on bpa for children's products, especially pacifiers, and products that make contact with food. in response, some manufacturers voluntarily removed the problematic pacifiers from the market. netherlands on 3 march 2016, the netherlands food and consumer product safety authority (nvwa) issued cautionary recommendations to the minister of health, welfare, and sport and the secretary for economic affairs, on the public intake of bpa, especially for vulnerable groups such as women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and those with developing immune systems such as children below the age of 10. this was done in response to recent published research, and conclusions reached by the european food safety authority. it also called for the concentration of bpa in drinking water to be lowered below 0.2 µg/l, in line with the maximum tolerable intake they recommend. switzerland in february 2009, the swiss federal office for public health, based on reports of other health agencies, stated that the intake of bisphenol a from food represents no risk to the consumer, including newborns and infants. however, in the same statement, it advised for proper use of polycarbonate baby bottles and listed alternatives. sweden by 26 may 1995, the swedish chemicals agency asked for a bpa ban in baby bottles, but the swedish food safety authority prefers to await the expected european food safety authority's updated review. the minister of environment said to wait for the efsa review but not for too long. from march 2011 it is prohibited to manufacture babybottles containing bisphenol a and from july 2011 they can not be bought in stores. on 12 april 2012, the swedish government announced that sweden will ban bpa in cans containing food for children under the age of three. since january 2, 2020, bpa has been banned in thermal recepits, as a consequence of the eu wide ban. since september 1, 2016, it is prohibited to use bpa when relining water pipes with cipp. united kingdom in december 2009, responding to a letter from a group of seven scientists that urged the uk government to "adopt a standpoint consistent with the approach taken by other governments who have ended the use of bpa in food contact products marketed at children", the uk food standards agency reaffirmed, in january 2009, its view that "exposure of uk consumers to bpa from all sources, including food contact materials, was well below levels considered harmful". turkey as of 10 june 2011, turkey banned the use of bpa in baby bottles and other pc items produced for babies. japan between 1998 and 2003, the canning industry voluntarily replaced its bpa-containing epoxy resin can liners with bpa-free polyethylene terephthalate (pet) in many of its products. for other products, it switched to a different epoxy lining that yielded much less migration of bpa into food than the previously used resin. in addition, polycarbonate tableware for school lunches was replaced by bpa-free plastics. human exposure sources the major human exposure route to bpa is diet, including ingestion of contaminated food and water. it is especially likely to leach from plastics when they are cleaned with harsh detergents or when they contain acidic or high-temperature liquids. bpa is used to form epoxy resin coating of water pipes; in older buildings, such resin coatings are used to avoid replacement of deteriorating pipes. in the workplace, while handling and manufacturing products which contain bpa, inhalation and dermal exposures are the most probable routes. there are many uses of bpa for which related potential exposures have not been fully assessed including digital media, electrical and electronic equipment, automobiles, sports safety equipment, electrical laminates for printed circuit boards, composites, paints, and adhesives. in addition to being present in many products that people use on a daily basis, bpa has the ability to bioaccumulate, especially in water bodies. in one review, it was seen that although bpa is biodegradable, it is still detected after wastewater treatment in many waterways at concentrations of approximately 1 ug/l. this study also looked at other pathways where bpa could potentially bioaccumulate and found "low-moderate potential...in microorganisms, algae, invertebrates, and fish in the environment" suggesting that some environmental exposures are less likely. in november 2009, the consumer reports magazine published an analysis of bpa content in some canned foods and beverages, where in specific cases the content of a single can of food could exceed the fda "cumulative exposure daily intake" limit. the cdc had found bisphenol a in the urine of 95% of adults sampled in 1988–1994 and in 93% of children and adults tested in 2003–04. the usepa reference dose (rfd) for bpa is 50 µg/kg/day which is not enforceable but is the recommended safe level of exposure. the most sensitive animal studies show effects at much lower doses, and several studies of children, who tend to have the highest levels, have found levels over the epa's suggested safe limit figure. a 2009 health canada study found that the majority of canned soft drinks it tested had low, but measurable levels of bisphenol a. a study conducted by the university of texas school of public health in 2010 found bpa in 63 of 105 samples of fresh and canned foods, including fresh turkey sold in plastic packaging and canned infant formula. a 2011 study published in environmental health perspectives, "food packaging and bisphenol a and bis(2-ethyhexyl) phthalate exposure: findings from a dietary intervention," selected 20 participants based on their self-reported use of canned and packaged foods to study bpa. participants ate their usual diets, followed by three days of consuming foods that were not canned or packaged. the study's findings include: 1) evidence of bpa in participants' urine decreased by 50% to 70% during the period of eating fresh foods; and 2) participants' reports of their food practices suggested that consumption of canned foods and beverages and restaurant meals were the most likely sources of exposure to bpa in their usual diets. the researchers note that, even beyond these 20 participants, bpa exposure is widespread, with detectable levels in urine samples in more than an estimated 90% of the u.s. population. another u.s. study found that consumption of soda, school lunches, and meals prepared outside the home were statistically significantly associated with higher urinary bpa. a 2011 experiment by researchers at the harvard school of public health indicated that bpa used in the lining of food cans is absorbed by the food and then ingested by consumers. of 75 participants, half ate a lunch of canned vegetable soup for five days, followed by five days of fresh soup, while the other half did the same experiment in reverse order. "the analysis revealed that when participants ate the canned soup, they experienced more than a 1,000 percent increase in their urinary concentrations of bpa, compared to when they dined on fresh soup." a 2009 study found that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased urinary bisphenol a levels by two-thirds, from 1.2 μg/g creatinine to 2 μg/g creatinine. consumer groups recommend that people wishing to lower their exposure to bisphenol a avoid canned food and polycarbonate plastic containers (which shares resin identification code 7 with many other plastics) unless the packaging indicates the plastic is bisphenol a-free. to avoid the possibility of bpa leaching into food or drink, the national toxicology panel recommends avoiding microwaving food in plastic containers, putting plastics in the dishwasher, or using harsh detergents. besides diet, exposure can also occur through air and through skin absorption. free bpa is found in high concentration in thermal paper and carbonless copy paper, which would be expected to be more available for exposure than