BISPHENOL A (BPA) AND BREAST CANCER

That this House is alarmed that breast cancer rates in England have risen by 90 per cent since 1971; believes that this increase cannot be attributed to lifestyle or genetic factors alone; acknowledges the body of scientific evidence that exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as Bisphenol A (BPA) can lead to changes in the breast and mammary glands, which predisposes the body to develop breast cancer later in life; is concerned that BPA continues to be used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in food and drink packaging; is disturbed that BPA is leaching out into the food we eat, resulting in diet being an agreed main route of exposure to BPA; notes that the UK's Strategy for Cancer is fundamentally weakened by failing to recognise such chemical and environmental causes of cancer; urges the Government to include environmental pollutants and man-made chemicals as preventable risk factors in the UK's Strategy for Cancer and NHS Cancer Plan; and encourages the Government to call for an EU-wide ban on BPA in all food and drink applications and its substitution with safer alternatives.