Iraq moves to restrict BPA in food, water packaging, citing endocrine, behavioural health risks

IRAQ – Iraq’s Ministry of Environment has announced it is working to impose restrictions on safe levels of materials used in food packaging and drinking water containers, specifically targeting Bisphenol A (BPA).

BPA is a chemical additive that makes plastics strong and transparent but has been linked to endocrine system disruption, behavioural changes in children, and potential impacts on living cells in European Union studies.

Spokesperson Luay Al-Mukhtar explained that dozens of chemicals are added to plastic products, most notably BPA, which is used to make products strong, transparent, and resistant to certain effects. 

He noted that numerous scientific studies, particularly in EU countries, have shown potential health risks associated with this substance, leading to restrictions or bans in certain applications. 

These risks include effects on the endocrine system, children’s behaviour, and potential impacts on living cells.

The BPA Problem

Bisphenol A is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics (water bottles, food containers) and epoxy resins (inner coatings of food and beverage cans). 

BPA can leach from packaging into food and water, especially when containers are heated, aged, or damaged. Infants, young children, and pregnant women are considered most vulnerable to BPA exposure due to developing endocrine systems.

Iraq’s Regulatory Path

Iraq is working to strengthen studies related to this substance, determine safe exposure levels, and impose restrictions within standard specifications, particularly for food-related products such as food containers and drinking water packaging, based on international and local research. 

Unlike the EU, which has set specific migration limits and banned BPA in baby bottles, Iraq currently lacks formal BPA restrictions for food-contact materials.

The Challenge of Substitution

Replacing BPA in food-contact plastics is technically feasible but not trivial. 

Alternatives such as BPS (Bisphenol S) and BPF (Bisphenol F) have been introduced, but studies suggest they may have similar endocrine-disrupting effects. 

For packaging converters, a move to BPA-free does not automatically mean safe; it means different chemistry that may require requalification for food-contact approval.

When the Container Becomes the Contaminant

The plastic water bottle is convenient, lightweight, and shatterproof. But if BPA leaches from that bottle into the water, the container has become a source of contamination. 

Iraq’s proposed restrictions acknowledge that food packaging must be judged not only on what it keeps out, dirt, oxygen, microbes, but on what it puts in.

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