Plastic component BPA danger to unborn children, report

A common component of plastic bottles and other products, Bisphenol A (BPA), can endanger unborn children, according to France’s food safety agency. France is to seek a Europe-wide limit on its use.

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In a new report released Tuesday the agency said BPA can pose a risk to unborn children if their mothers ingest, inhale or repeatedly touch products containing it.

It said pregnant women should avoid eating food preserved in lined cans or drinking water from plastic water fountains, both sources of BPA.

It also advised them to avoid handling paper receipts, many of them printed on thermal paper which are coated with BPA.

Ecology and Energy Minister Delphine Batho said that on the basis of the report, France would recommend that the European Commission ban BPA in thermal paper receipts.

The chemical is still used around the world in plastic products.