BPA Danger may be greater from Tin Cans than Water Bottles
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
Lambert/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Dangers of Bisphenol A (BPA) From canned food
According to the FDA, 17% of the American diet comes out of cans, and many of those have an epoxy liner made with Bisphenol A, a chemical which can mimic human estrogen and which is linked to breast cancer and early puberty in women. While the leaching of BPA from Nalgene water bottles and other polycarbonate bottles is a concern, the danger from canned food may be greater. The Environmental Working Group tested canned food bought across America and found BPA in more than half of them, at levels they call "200 times the government's traditional safe level of exposure for industrial chemicals." There are no standards for BPA; it is allowed to be put in anything, and billions of pounds are produced each year. EWG found:
Of all foods tested, chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli had BPA levels of highest concern. Just one to three servings of foods with these concentrations could expose a woman or child to BPA at levels that caused serious adverse effects in animal tests.
Source: Environmental Working Group
5 Ways to Beat BPA from Canned Food:
Don't use canned baby formula: All U.S. manufacturers use BPA-based lining on the metal portions of the formula containers. If you must use formula, choose powered or liquid in plastic bottles.
Don't eat canned food if you are pregnant. the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says "We don't want to tell people not to eat canned beans or tomatoes," said CSPI nutritionist David Schardt. "But at the same time, it makes sense for all parents, and especially pregnant and nursing women, to minimize the exposure of their kids' developing bodies and brains to BPA."
Buy in bottles, not cans. Many products, like tomato sauces, are available in bottles as well as cans. Does that white epoxy on the inside of the metal lid have BPA? Probably, but there is a lot less surface area than the whole inside of a can.
Start cooking instead of just heating. The fact that 17% of the American diet comes out of cans is just a scandal when we are surrounded by fresh food. Cook it from scratch and avoid the problem altogether.
Demand BPA-free cans. Not every manufacturer uses it; Some brands, like Eden Foods and Trader Joes are BPA free. See a list of common brands and company responses at Organic Grace.
Source: Environmental Working Group
The Bisphenol A Controversy
The American Chemistry Council continues to say "Human exposure to BPA from can coatings is minimal and poses no known risk to human health." Peter Foster at the National Post --an apologist for everything evil--asks, "But where are these "dozens of studies," and who did them? ", implying that everyone is relying on the work of one scientist, Frederick vom Saal. In fact, the Environmental Working Group lists over 100 peer-reviewed studies that found BPA to be toxic at low doses.
TreeHugger on Frederik vom Saal:
Chemical Found in Plastic Linked to Reproductive Disorders
Time to Pack In the Polycarbonates
The Perils of Being Thirsty While Being Green
Gender Bender Chemicals Also Make You Fat
That's amazing. Makes me glad that I do prefer fresh when it's practical. This still has me thinking on options, though.
I noted that Trader Joe's brand was mentioned as have "BPA-free cans" in this thread. My family loves shopping at Trader Joes, so I want to say I am not a Joe's basher by any means - but we were hugely surprised to find that the Trader Joe's brand maple syrup that we got from them recently was packaged in a #7 plastic bottle!
We'd missed spotting this in the store or else we'd have avoided the purchase, but what a depressing find - and something I felt needed to be commented on since this post shows they are thought to be providing BPA-free cans. I guess the summary is to know what you're purchasing before you leave the store - even a good one like TJs. And, maybe just because the store says it's "BPA-free", we should really make sure of it in the first place.
We've tossed our syrup by the way - I have two small children and it's just not worth adding yet another thing harmful to them into their small bodies...
Are tin cans even used anymore? The only canned goods I have are put in steel or aluminum cans.
LA: it is an anachronism, you are right that cans are no longer made of tin but usually are steel. The important point is the epoxy lining.
I noted that Trader Joe's brand was mentioned as have "BPA-free cans" in this thread. My family loves shopping at Trader Joes, so I want to say I am not a Joe's basher by any means - but we were hugely surprised to find that the Trader Joe's brand maple syrup that we got from them recently was packaged in a #7 plastic bottle!
We'd missed spotting this in the store or else we'd have avoided the purchase, but what a depressing find - and something I felt needed to be commented on since this post shows they are thought to be providing BPA-free cans. I guess the summary is to know what you're purchasing before you leave the store - even a good one like TJs. And, maybe just because the store says it's "BPA-free", we should really make sure of it in the first place.
We've tossed our syrup by the way - I have two small children and it's just not worth adding yet another thing harmful to them into their small bodies...
It isn't the metal that is important here, it is the "freshness" lining that is. The "high" quality cans of tomato sauces have the coating so the food doesn't taste like the can. It seems like having increased iron(from steel) or aluminum in your food doesn't seem much of an alternative given their contributions to diseases.
@Doug
"Tin" cans are not used anymore, it's just a figure of speech left over from a long time ago, much like tin foil (aluminum). And yes, all cans have coatings, but only a few manufacturers use ones that do not contain BPA (Trader Joe's, Eden Foods, etc.).
So, when it says "chicken soup" - does that mean all brands? I'm a big soup eater - yikes! I had not heard about this. I knew about the bottles, but not this.
I'm sure there are several other illnesses that BPA causes that we aren't even aware of. Increased estrogen causes a host of health problems. It certainly explains the high increases in precocious puberty and such.
Thanks for the post,
Heather
http://retaildesigndiva.blogs.com
I heard an ad on the radio by safeway, for earthday they are goving away Green coupons to buy discounted bottled water and other soft drinks and junk food, and calling it green. Can someone set up some regulations to stop blatant greenwashing like this?
In response to Josh, not all #7 plastic contains BPA. Not saying that that Trader Joe's bottle does or does not contain BPA (I don't know), but you can't assume just from the plastic recycling number.
yet another reason to buy fresh...or frozen if you must.
Once again, another benefit to breastfeeding. Scary to think that people dont care who there hurt for the "convience" of living
What continues to baffle and enrage me is how quickly retailers and Government can jump to removing these products and label BPA a "Dangerous Substance" all because of some not-yet-understood health risks. And yet they can't bring themselves to label TOBACCO PRODUCTS as "Dangerous Substances" even though we clearly know that the health risks are ASTRONOMICAL.
The health risks to infants and the unborn fetus from second hand smoke have been extensively studied and clearly documented, and yet the government refuses to take the same swift action to remove cigarettes to protect the public.
If they remove BPA products and leave tobacco on the shelves, they have made a mockery of Health Canada,
Tobacco products:
- Are Highly addictive
- Kill more than 25,000 Canadians every year! (more than 8 times the death toll from 9/11)
- Have no other purpose except to addict and eventually kill the user.
And yet cigarettes sit on the store shelves growing ever larger health warnings and waiting for their next victim. The government is far too addicted to the taxes and the tobacco lobby money to really protect the public from an entirely preventable health crisis.
Every cent that the government or retailers get from the sale of tobacco products is Blood Money.
What about those cardboard-type boxes that some soups and tomato sauces come in? Would they be lined with the same epoxy-type lining?
I can make my own chicken broth, but I really don't want to spend August canning my own tomato sauce in glass jars.
I am surprised to hear you say that Trader Joe's cans are not lined with BPA. On the Environmental Working Group's blog, Amanda seemed to question the accuracy of the claim that TJ's cans are BPA free. Please see the comment thread: http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/bpa-questions-answered.htm
Please provide any further info on this as I am an avid TJ shopper and would love to resume buying their canned goods if they aren't lined with BPA
I don't want to diminish the importance of the BPA poisoning going on in our foods, but Earthgirl hit a big point.
The almight dollar has corrupted the government into allowing cigarettes to remain legal. The sadest part is the government is in turn spending far more than the tax dollars it takes in to combat the diseases brought on by cigarette smoke (both first-hand and second-hand smoke, which murders other people). The smokers know that they are harming and potentially killing those who are around them when they smoke, but they blatantly continue without a conscience.
Immediate steps need to be taken to stop this poisoning. The hypocrisy is astounding.
Eat whole natural foods and cook your own meals. If it's in a bag or canned avoid it if you can.
Actually, ALL plastics that are manufactured from polycarbonate (PC, #7) contain bisphenol A (PBA).
"It would not be possible to make the same polycarbonate plastic without bisphenol A, which is the primary ingredient that is chemically reacted to form the plastic."
Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D.
Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group
PBA has become Wal-Mart's new scapegoat and a major marketing disaster. Reading further into this issue, the levels tested from food contact are within acceptable levels. But again... It comes back to 'safety first'.
http://www.nalgenelabware.com/techdata/technical/phthalates.asp
If you want to read about a real poison plastic... Research PVC.
Russ Bowers
Packaging Engineer
Actually there is another plastic that is labeled #7, PLA (polyactide) which is made from renewable plant sources. It is not recycleable, but it can be composted, and the Green Guide considers it safe.
Note that NOT ALL #7 plastic bottles are BPA containing polycarbonate. The #7 is a catch all category that means "other." It refers to any plastic not included in #1 through #6 labels plus blends of any of the first 6 . This means that #7 also includes things like biobased plastics for which there is no number.
Nonetheless, #7 frequently is polycarbonate and avoiding #7 remains a good rule of thumb unless you have other information about what the product is made of.