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NewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published August 9 2007
Bisphenol A chemical commonly found in canned soup and cooking.net">food storage plastics
by Mike Adams
Before you decide to chew on the cap of your water bottle because you're
nervous, make sure the plastic you are chewing on isn't full of carcinogens
and chemicals -- even though lobbyists for the plastics industry argue that
any traces of the toxic substance bisphenol A are low and therefore,
insubstantial.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is found most commonly in polycarbonate plastics.
According to the Bisphenol-A.org website, "Bisphenol A is an industrial
chemical used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, both
of which are used in countless applications that make our lives easier,
healthier and safer, each and every day."
But the Environmental Working Group states, "BPA is an ingredient in
plastics and the epoxy resins that line cooking.net">food cans. Low doses of BPA lead to
a range of health problems, including birth defects of the male and female
reproductive systems in laboratory animals. Despite the growing evidence of
risk to human health, there are no limits on the amount of BPA allowed in
canned food.
The tests found that pregnant women and infants who eat even a single
serving of some canned foods are exposed to unsafe doses of BPA. Of the
foods [recently tested for BPA contamination] -- which included many of the
canned foods eaten most often by women of childbearing age -- BPA levels
were highest in canned pasta and soup. Canned infant formula also had high
levels. Just one to three servings of cooking.net">food with these BPA levels could
expose a pregnant woman or infant to harmful doses of the chemical."
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization that uses the
power of information to protect public health and the environment. They
recently completed a study of the toxic chemical and its presence in
name-brand canned goods, finding that 50% of those canned goods contained
bisphenol A. To make matters worse, the FDA states about 20 percent of the
U.S. diet comes from this form of cooking.net">food packaging. Even so, there are no
current government safety standards that regulate how much BPA is allowed in
canned foods. The burden of proof lies with government and lobbyists, who
say the doses found in canned goods and plastics are very low. But what dose
of this toxic chemical is really safe? No one seems to know.
The toxicity of BPA
"BPA reads like a case study of how badly our chemical safety system is
broken," said Jane Houlihan, Vice President for Research at EWG. "We've
known it's toxic for 75 years, it's polluting the bodies of almost all
Americans, but we allow it in our cooking.net">food at levels that leave no margin of
safety for pregnant women and young children."
"Given widespread human exposure to BPA and hundreds of studies showing its
adverse effects, the FDA and EPA must act quickly to revise safe levels for
BPA exposure based on the latest science on the low-dose toxicity of the
chemical," according to the Environmental Working Group.
Fred von Saal is a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of
Missouri, Columbia and speaks frequently on the lecture and seminar circuit.
He is the author of a groundbreaking paper in Environmental Health
Perspective on risk assessment concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A.
"The idea that this is a strong, durable product is an illusion," von Saal
said. "The chemists have known that the Bisphenol A chemical is constantly
leaching and coming into contact with cooking.net">food or water. It's going to damage
your body.this evidence will ultimately convince federal regulatory agencies
that BPA should be illegal for use in cooking.net">food and beverage containers. It's
only a matter of time."
Chemical industry "scientists" disagree
Of course, there are those who disagree -- mostly people on the payroll of
the plastics industry. "The evidence has been examined by governments and
scientific bodies worldwide. In every case, the weight of evidence supports
the conclusion that bisphenol A is not a risk to human health at the
extremely low levels to which people might be exposed," said Steve Hentges,
spokesman for the American Plastics Council.
The American Plastics Council is a lobbyist for the U.S. plastics
industry -- their main focus is to promote the benefits of plastics,
including plastic products which contain the chemical bisphenol A.
According to the American Plastics Council, products that may contain the
chemical bisphenol A include:
. hard, clear plastic baby bottles
. hard, clear, sometimes tinted, plastic water bottles
. hard, clear plastic bowls, tableware, storage containers
. liners inside cooking.net">food and drink cans
. dental sealant to prevent cavities
. electronic equipment
. sports safety equipment
. medical devices
. pet carriers
. spray-on flame retardants
There's more to this story, too -- not only is it toxic, it could affect
your child's metabolism.
"Certain environmental substances called endocrine-disrupting chemicals can
change the functioning of a fetus's genes, altering a baby's metabolic
system and predisposing him or her to obesity. This individual could eat the
same thing and exercise the same amount as someone with a normal metabolic
system, but he or she would become obese, while the other person remained
thin. This is a serious problem because obesity puts people at risk for
other problems, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and
hypertension," von Saal said.
What's clear today is that BPA is a chemical of justified concern, and
consumers who wish to protect themselves from the detrimental effects of BPA
exposure should limit their exposure to plastics products that come into
contact with their cooking.net">food and beverages.
Action items
. Never microwave foods in plastic containers. Heating plastics greatly
increases the potential for leaching of chemicals into your food.
. Avoid drinking beverages out of plastic containers. This includes bottled
water, juice drinks, and others. Drink out of glass or stainless steel.
. Greatly reduce or eliminate your consumption of canned cooking.net">food products.
Canned foods typically contain BPA due to the lining inside the can.
. Avoid storing cooking.net">food in plastic containers. Instead, choose Pyrex or class
containers (stainless steel is also acceptable). Also avoid using plastic
sandwich bags or plastic wrap products, wherever possible.
. Remember that if you are pregnant or nursing, BPA chemicals are passed
through your {*filter*}stream directly to your baby.
Bisphenol A chemical commonly found in canned soup and food storage plastics