What are the Alternatives to BPA in Coatings?

In the first part of the report, we saw in detail the regulatory status w.r.t. Bisphenol-A (BPA) and also the coating industry's connection to BPA. Some new developments took place since the regulatory report was published. In January 2015, EFSA published¹ its latest comprehensive re-evaluation of BPA exposure and toxicity.

Their experts concluded that BPA posed no health risk to consumers of any age group (including unborn children, infants and adolescents) at current exposure levels, which were found to be three to five times lower than the new Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) set at 4 µg/kg of bw/day. BPA is permitted for use in food contact materials in the European Union (EU) under Regulation 10/2011/EU, relating to plastic materials and articles intending to come into contact with foodstuffs.

However, one still comes across news of BPA being restricted or banned. Some of the recent ones include Conagra Food's decision to remove BPA from its cans, Sweden's plan to ban BPA in water pipes² and French court's decision to uphold restrictions on selling and importing BPA³. And so, it is still interesting to explore the alternatives to BPA that exist in the market and those that are under development. And therefore, in the second part of this report, we are presenting the BPA-free solutions that were shared by SpecialChem Community Members.