German Authority Calls for Reduced Usage of Bisphenol A

GFood Industry News: "The European regulation on chemicals REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) strengthen the responsibility of the chemical industry. Industries which produce or use Bisphenol A are responsible to assess the risks of Bisphenol A for human health and the environment over the whole life cycle and to reduce potential risks.

The results of these risk assessments have to be presented to the European authorities in a dossier for registration by 30 November 2010. The Federal Environment Agency will scrutinize this dossier and then take decisions on which additional efficient measures for the protection of human health and Environment are possible and necessary."

Media Continue War against Plastic Chemical BPA

Business & Media.org: "Robert L. Brent, MD, PhD, D.Sc., and adviser to the American Council on Science and Health condemned the study as a lot of hype designed to frighten the public.

Brent said, “The National Workgroup for Safe Markets publication wasn't intended to educate the public about risks, but to frighten unsophisticated scientists and the public. We should respond to such garbage with good science."

Waiter, there's a potential carcinogen in my soup

Reuters: "What Sprague didn't realize is that BPA, or bisphenol A, is ubiquitous. Simply put, just about anything you eat that comes out of a can -- from Campbell's Chicken Soup and SpaghettiOs to Diet Coke and BumbleBee Tuna -- contains the same exact chemical.

The exposure to BPA from canned food 'is far more extensive' than from plastic bottles, said Shanna Swan, a professor and researcher at the University of Rochester in New York. 'It's particularly concerning when it's lining infant formula cans.'

BPA is the key compound in epoxy resin linings that keep food fresher longer and prevents it from interacting with metal and altering the taste. It has been linked in some studies of rats and mice to not only cancer but also obesity, diabetes and heart disease."

NGO tests Bisphenol A (BPA) in Canned Foods

The Health Reporter: Potentially harmful levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor, were found in common canned foods. Researchers of the National Work Group for Safe Markets, a coalition of public health and environmental health groups, tested 50 cans for BPA contamination. BPA is the key compound in epoxy resin linings that keeps food fresher longer. The chemical lining also prevents the food from interacting with the metal and altering the taste.

"The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), however, affirms that…” there is no new science in the National Workgroup for Safe Markets’ report – all of the credible information in the report is well known to regulatory agencies and has been considered in their review and affirmation of the safety of BPA”.

Robert E. Brackett, GMA’s senior vice president and chief science and regulatory affairs officer said until more definitive regulatory agency studies are completed, GMA will rely on the current and recently reaffirmed regulatory determinations by FDA that foods in cans with linings that utilize BPA are safe."

Health Canada Survey of Bisphenol A in Canned Food Products from Canadian Markets

Health Canada : "Health Canada recently conducted a survey entitled Survey of Bisphenol A in Canned Food Products from Canadian Markets

This survey examined samples from 78 different canned food products, and found only low levels of BPA. The results of this survey confirm that exposure to BPA from canned food products is very low and poses no health or safety concerns to the general population.

The survey was conducted by Health Canada as part of its research and monitoring agenda to further gather occurrence levels of BPA in canned food products for sale in Canada, and improve its understanding of Canadians' exposure to this chemical through food sources."

Full report (precaution with sensitive sub-set)

BPA Compound in Food Cans May Cause Health Problems

IBTHealth: "'It's particularly concerning when it's lining infant formula cans,' said Shanna Swan, a professor and researcher at the University of Rochester in New York.

BPA is used to keep food fresher longer and prevents it from interacting with metal and altering the taste.

Trade groups stand behind the safety of BPA, citing studies from governmental health agencies that say BPA is not harmful. But, earlier this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressed 'some concern' about BPA for the very first time. This came on the heels of recent independent scientific studies that rose concerns. So the FDA plans on tapping into $30 million of federal stimulus funds to study the chemical's effects on the human body."

Cancer link prompts new call for bisphenol A ban

AP-Food: "A UK scientist has called for the banning of bisphenol A after claiming new research has shown “growing evidence” that the chemical is a human carcinogen.
Professor Ana Soto, from the University of Ulster, said the substance should be outlawed after examining the role foetal exposure to BPA has played in the development of mammary cancer in rats and humans in later life.

The study, conducted with Professor Carlos Sonnenschein from Tufts University, Boston, USA, shows foetal and neonatal exposure to the chemical increases the likelihood of development of malignant tumours later in life, said the academic who is Professor of Cancer Development at Ulster and a professor of Cell Biology at Tufts."