Health Risk From Toxin BPA Found In Canned Food
Consumer Reports revealed health risk from a toxic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) that many leading brands of canned foods contain.
The health risks include reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems.
BPA is used in the lining of cans and the toxin leaches from the lining into the food. According to Consumer Reports just a couple of servings of canned food can exceed scientific limits on daily exposure for children.
Sensitive groups such as kids and pregnant women should limit canned food consumption. Beverages appear to contain less BPA residues, while canned pasta and soups contain the highest levels.
Rinsing canned fruit or vegetables with water prior to heating and serving could lessen BPA ingestion. And,
Consumer Reports’ latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contain measurable levels of BPA. The results are reported in the December 2009 issue and also available online.
The current US federal guidelines put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight.
However, this limit is based on studies from the 1980s. These studies do not take into account the findings of more recent animal and laboratory research, which have found that far lower doses of BPA may still pose serious health risks.
The Most Dangerous Of Canned Food
In general, canned green beans and canned soups had some of the highest BPA levels of the foods tested. The health risk from consuming these foods is the highest.
- Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans Blue Lake had BPA levels ranging from 35.9 parts per billion (ppb) to as much as 191 ppb
- Progresso Vegetable Soup had BPA levels ranging from 67 to 134 ppb
- Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup had BPA levels ranging from 54.5 to 102 ppb
What you can do :
* Choose glass over canned when possible. It is true, lids on glass jars can have some traces of BPA from the coating but the levels of BPA in a glass container versus a can are substantial.
* Choose fresh or frozen. Frozen veggies are sometimes flash frozen right after harvest so they maintain a higher nutritional value than canned. Or scrap it all and buy fresh… even better, fresh organic.
* Choose powdered formula. If you don’t breastfeed, choose a formula in powdered form. Liquid baby formula has some of the highest BPA levels.
* Use alternatives to canned food, beverages, juices, and infant formula.
* Seek out BPA Free Canned Food. Some companies are starting to emerge with a new method of lining cans. Eden Organic is a good example. Their beans (only) are canned in BPA Free cans.
While the levels of BPA that leach from hard plastics is generally low, we recommend avoiding use of plastic containers to heat food in microwaves. Ceramic, glass, and other microwaveable dish ware are good alternatives. Avoid using old and scratched plastic bottles.
Want to know more about health risk from toxin BPA?
Then, post your question below.
Yours truly for great health, mind and body,
Michelle, natural health advocate
November 27 2009 04:17 pm | Green Living and Healthy Eating
November 27th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
It is unfortunate that the producers of canned goods have not proactively sought to remove this material from their food products for the sake of their customers. I am sure that as names are named, they will try to repent and solve the problem “proactively”.
November 28th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
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November 28th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
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