Breast cancer rates in England have risen by 90% since 1971. Breast Cancer UK believes that this increase cannot be attributed to lifestyle or genetic factors alone. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a known endocrine disrupting chemical, an oestrogen mimic and has been linked to changes in the breast and mammary glands which predispose the body to develop breast cancer later in life.

Despite this, BPA continues to be used in a wide range of everyday products including food and drink packaging. It is ubiquitous in the environment and in people. Numerous studies indicate that over 95% of us have BPA in our bodies. Scientists agree that an important route of exposure to BPA is through diet and it is clear that the BPA used in food and drink contact products is leaching out of the packaging or container and into the food and drink we consume on a daily basis. Increasingly scientific data suggests that even low level exposure to BPA may have adverse health effects.

The UK Government must take action now to reduce the massive financial and human cost of cancer by calling on the EU to introduce a ban on the use of BPA in all food and drink applications and to substitute it with safer alternatives.