Naomi Starkman has a concerning story on the Huffington Post about the most recent Consumer Reports tests on canned foods which found “measurable levels of Bisphenol A (BPA)” in almost all the products tested.BPA has been “restricted” in Canada and some US states and towns because of health concerns linked to the product which is used in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners. Among the health concerns linked to BPA are “reproductive abnormalities, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, and heart disease.”
According to Starkman’s report, the foods tested included products such as soups, tuna, green beans, and juice. The daily upper limit for safe exposure to BPA, according to the federal government, is 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. Starkman is skeptical of those recommendations since they are based on studies conducted in the 1980s “rather than hundreds of more recent animal and laboratory studies indicating that serious health risks could result from much lower doses of BPA.” Some of the studies indicate reproductive abnormalities can occur at 2.4 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day.
In keeping with established practices that ensure an adequate margin of safety for human exposure, Consumer Reports' food-safety scientists recommend limiting daily exposure to BPA to one-thousandth of that level (standard safety limit setting practice), or 0.0024 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, significantly lower than FDA's current safety limit.Among the products tested were Progresso Vegetable Soup, which had BPA levels ranging from 67 to 134 parts per billion (ppb), and Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup had levels ranging from 54.5 ppb to 102 ppb.
The Consumer’s Union “previously called on manufacturers and government agencies to act to eliminate the use of BPA in all materials that come in contact with food and beverages.” Later, in 2008 the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) special scientific advisory panel reported that safety standards established to protect consumers were inadequate and should be reevaluated. In 2009 a congressional subcommittee deemed the report “relied too heavily on studies sponsored by the American Plastic council.”
With the new study complete, the Consumers Union has reiterated its previous request to the FDA. According to Starkman, the FDA will announce the findings from its most recent study of BPA at the end of the month.
Read the Starkman article by clicking here.
Posted: 11/06/09
