Back in the pacifier

Environmental success for the “Krone”: chemical banned

The danger of bisphenol is now a thing of the past, and not just for babies.

(Bild: Reinhard Holl (Symbolbild))

Together with Global 2000, the "Krone" had fought tenaciously for a ban on the dangerous chemical bisphenol A. Now the EU Commission has finally decided to ban it!

The environmental protection organization Global 2000 had already tested a wide range of different plastic articles for harmful substances in 2009. The result was deeply shocking and frightening for all moms and dads: large quantities of BPA were detected in almost all commercially available baby soothers and a ban was subsequently imposed.

2000-fold exceedances
"The concentrations that we measured in saliva simulants at the time were 200 to 2000 times higher than the dose considered acceptable for babies and toddlers today. In retrospect, the fact that Austria immediately withdrew the pacifiers from the market and imposed an Austria-wide ban was the only right decision," says Global 2000 chemist Dr. Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, recalling the dramatic situation at the beginning of the struggle for a ban on the - scientifically proven - hormone-damaging chemical.

It took 15 years in Brussels
Nevertheless, it took another 15 years until the final eco-triumph this December before the bureaucrats in Brussels were able to bring themselves to ban bisphenol completely. The ban now adopted by the Commission covers BPA in all products that come into contact with food, such as plastic packaging, metal coatings in food cans and reusable drinking bottles. It will also be extended to other bisphenols that are considered toxic to reproduction or endocrine disruptors.

The implementation period is 18 months
After an implementation period of 18 months, the danger is finally averted. Burtscher-Schaden is jubilant. Science has shown that even the smallest amounts of BPA can affect health, especially the endocrine system.