Study Finds High Levels of BPA in Canned Food for Kids

Epoch Times: Engel says BPA in the can lining migrates into the food.

Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke is a researcher at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. She says animal studies show a direct link between BPA and breast cancer.

“Basically 90 percent of humans, when the BPA levels are measured, are positive, so one can find levels of BPA in most people,” Dr. Hilakivi said.
Dr. Hilakivi says cancer can take 50 years to develop. She’s more concerned about Type 2 diabetes in children and notes that BPA affects children and adults differently.
“I think that in both there is an increase risk … for Type 2 diabetes, but children in general are much more susceptible to exposure of endocrine disruptors, and the most sensitive are pregnant women and their unborn fetuses,” she said.

Besides cancer and diabetes, other studies have linked BPA to infertility, early puberty in girls, and obesity.

Many of the medical findings on BPA have been contested, and studies continue. Some U.S. states have banned BPA in baby bottles, children’s toys, and utensils.

A spokesman for Campbell’s, the company with the highest BPA levels in the study, has said it is confident in the safety of its products. He said evidence shows BPA in can linings poses no threat to human health.

Chemical Industry Asks FDA to 'Clarify' BPA Stance

Consumer affairs.com: Yielding to pressure from parents, health advocates, and lawmakers, the chemical industry has conceded that the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) should not be used to make baby bottles and sippy cups.

The American Chemistry Council announced today that it has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revise its regulations to “clarify for consumers that BPA is no longer used to manufacture baby bottles and sippy cups and will not be used in these products in the future.”

Getting BPA out of baby bottles isn't enough.

NRDC: Canned food, including liquid infant formula, is still the biggest source of BPA exposure for most people. We know that simple changes in diet can have dramatic effects on a person’s BPA level. And some canned food manufacturers are already moving away from using BPA in their cans. We have more tips on how to avoid BPA exposure here.

Though, this isn't a problem we should solve ourselves. We need the FDA to step up and remove BPA entirely from the food supply. Their job is to protect the public’s health, not corporate interests.

Furthermore, we need assurance that the alternatives to replace BPA are safe.

Getting BPA out of baby bottles isn't enough. | Sarah Janssen's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

Getting BPA out of baby bottles isn't enough. | Sarah Janssen's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC: Canned food, including liquid infant formula, is still the biggest source of BPA exposure� for most people. We know that simple changes in diet can have dramatic effects on a person’s BPA level. And some canned food manufacturers are already moving away from using BPA in their cans. We have more tips on how to avoid BPA exposure here.

Though, this isn't a problem we should solve ourselves. We need the FDA to step up and remove BPA entirely from the food supply. Their job is to protect the public’s health, not corporate interests.

Furthermore, we need assurance that the alternatives to replace BPA are safe.

Science is sidelined by sensationalism

Portland Insight: There has been a fair amount of discussion in recent months about government “overreach” at the state and federal level. The county effort to get involved in food safety policy and institute a broad ban on BPA is an example of government officials focused on personal agendas, rather than on public benefit.

Does the county really have the staff and financial resources to initiate a product ban and monitor what retailers are selling – especially when such a ban is clearly not supported by science?

Bisphenol A (or BPA as it is more commonly known) is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins – and both applications have been approved for use in contact with food by the FDA, EFSA and many other government agencies for decades. Because it is used in epoxy resin canned food linings, BPA protects food from contamination and spoilage. Cans with epoxy resin linings have a shelf life of two years or longer, which becomes very important in areas of our country where fresh fruits and vegetables are not always easily accessible or affordable.

Canned food is also essential in disaster-relief and military operations and very helpful to food banks, as well as other organizations that routinely feed large numbers of people.

California Takes Action on Bisphenol-A: What Is the Impact?

Morrison & Foerster LLP - JDSupra: California has joined 11 other states in limiting the sale of selected products that contain the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is an industrial chemical used to make a hard, clear plastic known as polycarbonate, found in a multitude of plastic products, including reusable water bottles and baby bottles. It is also found in epoxy resins, which act as a protective lining on the inside of metal-based food and beverage cans, and metal closures for glass jars. BPA coatings have been used to ensure that foods can be canned and stored safely over extended periods of time.

In October 2011, both the California Legislature and its health hazard assessment agency took action regarding BPA. Taken in context, those actions will have only limited effect on the sale of BPA-containing products. The resulting debate underscored the fact that significant evidence supports the safe and effective use of BPA in certain products.

Want to reduce BPA exposure? Cut canned foods

KTXL: "One of the main sources of BPA is believed to be food packaging, but there weren't any studies that had actually looked at having people eat a normal diet and then stop eating foods that had been wrapped in BPA-containing products," said Janet Gray, Ph.D., director of the Program in Science, Technology and Society at Vassar College and science advisor to the Breast Cancer Fund.

Gray co-authored "Food Packaging and Bisphenol A," a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

"We wanted to be able to ask the question: Could we have fairly simple changes in people's lives, both adults and children, that would alter their exposure and body burden of BPA?" Gray said.

Switching to fresh foods decreased BPA levels very quickly.

"That's one of the most important findings of this study."

BPA in pregnant women may cause behavior problems in girls

CNN.com Blogs: When pregnant women eat foods that are stored in cans or packing containing BPA, their unborn child's exposure to the chemical could lead to behavioral problems by age 3.

Scientists tested 244 pregnant women and their 3-year-old children for BPA exposure. They found when the mothers' BPA levels were high, the children were more likely to show signs of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, found these behavior problems  in girls – not in boys.

Researchers cannot explain why, but they have seen similar results in other studies. "Our study is consistent with some of the animal studies that say that BPA impacts brain development in monkeys and rodents," explains study author Joe Braun with the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Infant girls and BPA exposure, Campbell's brands pose risk

Examiner.com: Over the past few years scientists have linked an estrogen-like chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in canned foods to possible health risks. The solution could cost the food insustry only a few cents per product to resolve, but still few respond, which leaves parents concerned.

A September 2011 study conducted by the Breast Cancer Fund showed that Campbell's Disney Princess and Toy Story Soups contained the highest levels of BPA among 12 food items tested.

Another study shows that the timing of exposure may post the biggest risk for girls. In a study released this week in Pediatrics young girls exposed to BPA in the womb showed a greater risk for depression and anxiety by age 3. The study is significant because it links the timing of exposure to behavioral problems.

Your Canned Foods Will Make Your Daughters Hyperactive

Jezebel: Today in News of Our Horrible Modern World: moms' exposure to the chemical bisphenol-A (found in cans and plastic bottles) during pregnancy appears to increase their daughters' anxiety and hyperactivity at age 3.

The AP reports on a study that tested the urine of 244 pregnant women for BPA. Researchers then had moms score their kids' behavior at age 3 using standard questionnaires. Higher BPA levels were correlated with more anxiety and hyperactivity in girls — for every 10% increase in BPA, the girls scored six points worse on the questionnaire. This wasn't enough to push many of them over into abnormal territory, but lead study author Joe Braun says "these subtle shifts can actually have very dramatic implications at the population level."

Multnomah County Passes BPA Ban

The Lund Report: Parents and children packed the board room this morning to hear the Multnomah County Commissioners vote unanimously to ban the sale and manufacture of reusable water bottles, sippy cups and baby bottles that contain the organic chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA).

Multnomah County's ban follows numerous attempts at the state level to pass a ban on BPA, and this morning's vote is the first successful attempt in Oregon.

Earlier this year, legislators failed to pass a similar ban. "It was a huge disappointment," said Sen. Jackie Dingfelder (D-NE Portland), who sponsored that bill and testifed at this morning's hearing.

In 2010, a bill that would have banned BPA from even more products failed as well.

"This would have best had it been a state-wide action," said county chair Jeff Cogen. "But when the state fails to lead, the local leaders have to step up and act."

Government bans 'unsafe' baby bottles

Mail & Guardian Online: Last week, Motsoaledi signed a document containing regulations declaring the illegality of the "manufacture, importation, exportation and sale" of infant bottles containing BPA. The relevant regulations were published in the October 21 Government Gazette and took immediate effect. The step against BPA is a first for an African country.