Thursday, June 2 2022, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy Universitas Airlangga (FF UNAIR), Prof. apt. Junaidi Khotib, M.Kes., Ph.D. invited as a speaker at a Webinar held by Gatra Media Group with the topic "Are Consumers Protected from Using AMDK?".
In the webinar Prof. Junaidi explained the impact of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) on brain development and mental development disorders. He conducted the study with a team from several faculties within the Airlangga University, namely the Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, and the Faculty of Science and Technology.
From his studies, there is a release or migration of BPA particles into food or beverages that are in direct contact with the primary packaging, so that BPA particles can enter the body through the food or drink. The concentration of BPA in blood and urine is closely related to various diseases related to endocrine disorders, namely disorders of the hormonal system, nervous development, and mental health in children.
He also said that he strongly agrees with the implementation of regulations governing how acceptable daily intakes are progressively decreasing towards the use of plastic.
Not to forget, at the end of the material presentation session, Prof. Junaidi conveyed several recommendations from the results of his and his team's studies, namely he suggested conducting education and raising awareness in the community to choose food and beverage products whose packaging is BPA-free.
In addition, it is necessary to provide assistance to food and beverage producers in increasing customer awareness to produce products that are safe for health. Food producers who have distribution permits are also required to be committed and responsible for ensuring the safety of their products by conducting pharmacovigilance studies or post-marketing studies related to BPA migration.
Finally, he hopes for efforts from the Authorization Agency, in this case he refers to the POM, so as not to ignore the opportunity for exposure to hazardous BPA materials by labeling food and beverage packaging.
