Workshop on bisphenol A (BPA) hazard assessment protocol

Background

On 30 June 2017, EFSA launched an online public consultation on its draft protocol for the hazard assessment of bisphenol A, in line with EFSA’s policy on openness and transparency. This draft protocol details upfront the approach and methodology that EFSA will apply for its next BPA re-evaluation and for revising the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for BPA, currently set to 4 µg /kg bw per day on a temporary basis. In order for EFSA to receive feedback from the scientific community and stakeholders, interested parties have been invited to submit written comments via EFSA’s website by 3 September 2017.

To complete the public consultation process, EFSA now wishes to hold a public scientific meeting to engage in discussion with all the stakeholders and other relevant parties, and to gather additional feedback on its draft protocol. This event will take place in Brussels on 14 September 2017, and will be a key step prior to the finalisation of the protocol for its endorsement by the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) by the end of 2017.

Objectives of the meeting

This scientific meeting aims at discussing with all contributing interested parties, scientific experts and EFSA staff the comments received during the public consultations to ensure a full understanding of the submissions. Another goal is to gather suggestions from stakeholders directed at improving the protocol.

Structure of the meeting

The meeting will allow an interactive exchange of views between EFSA scientists from the Working Group on BPA hazard assessment protocol and the meeting participants from national agencies, governmental bodies, industry and industry associations, non-governmental organisations, academia and private citizens.

EFSA experts will briefly illustrate the main features of the draft protocol and provide an overview of the main comments received through the web-based public consultation.

There will be an opportunity in plenary for an exchange of views on questions/comments received from the registered attendees. Some contributors will be asked to briefly present comments of general interest to the audience. To better structure the discussion, attendees who have not submitted comments on the draft BPA protocol through the web-based public consultation, are kindly invited to send their written questions prior to the meeting. Comments can be submitted via the on-line registration tool.

A summary report of the meeting will be published on EFSA’s website after the event.

Who should attend?

The meeting is intended for all interested stakeholders, especially those contributing to the public consultation with expertise in the area of BPA, toxicology, systematic reviews and/or protocol development. Participation is limited to a maximum of 60 participants. The final selection will aim at a balanced representation of expertise and stakeholders.

On-line registrations

The registration form is available here

Please note that registration may close once the maximum number of participants is reached or, at the latest, by 25 August 2017.

After closure of registration, potential participants will be informed whether or not they have been selected for participation.

Logistic information

The meeting will be held in Brussels, Belgium, from 10:00 to 16:00 on 14 September 2017. Further details on the venue and logistics will be communicated to applicants selected to participate following the closure of registrations. English will be the official language of the event, no translation will be provided.

There is no fee for participation however you will be required to cover expenses related to your travel and accommodation.

Contact

Do not hesitate to contact conferences [at] efsa.europa.eu for any questions you may have.