http://www.care2.com/greenliving/bpa-found-in-soda-cans.html
BPA Found in Soda Cans
Just in case you needed another reason not to drink soft drinks, a Canada study has found significant levels of the controversial chemical BPA in energy drink and soda cans.
As reported by the Toronto Globe and Mail, bisphenol-A was found in at least 96 percent of the sodas it tested, including ginger ales, diet colas, root beers and citrus-flavored drinks. The highest levels, however, were found in energy drinks. Soft-drink cans are treated with a BPA-containing liner to prevent drinks from coming into contact with metal.
First it was plastic and most notably baby bottles, then it was discovered that the plastic lining in canned foods contains BPA. Now soda cans too. Although BPA has been banned from baby bottles in Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declined to deem the chemical unsafe, so it’s up to us as consumers to regulate our exposure.
(Incidentally, you can sign Care2’s petition to Tell Congress to Ban BPA From Baby Bottles and Other Products.)
Primarily believed to have harmful effects on unborn or newborn children, BPA is an estrogen-based hormone disrupter that leaches into our food and then into our body. It has been linked in lab animals to cancer, obesity, diabetes, fertility problems and behavioral disorders.
As far as the BPA levels in soda, Health Canada contends there is no risk because the levels are “extremely low,” said Samuel Godefroy, director of the health agency’s Bureau of Chemical Safety. He said children would not be at risk and an adult would have to drink 900 cans a day to exceed the government’s safety level.
Frederick vom Saal, a biologist at the University of Missouri and an authority on BPA, called these assurances “simple minded.” He says there is a growing body of scientific literature, based on animal experiments, that has found harmful effects due to BPA at concentrations up to 1,000 times below Health Canada’s safety limit.
“We are constantly getting exposed to this chemical,” vom Saal said. “People drink a lot of soda and this needs to be looked at as one of a very large number of sources of exposure to this chemical.”
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19 comments
add your comment »Whats next??? Why not just skip all these
"FDA Approved" containers, and give us just plain ole' cancer in a bottle.
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I just got a Penguin! I love it! It will save us money in the long run, plus it's helping my family's health, and, the best news is that we aren't dumping anymore cans and plastic bottles in the recycling bin. I can't say enough about it. I tried another product on Amazon, the ISI Soda Maker and it was a very bad experience. Don't even consider that one!
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Elizabeth, thanks for mentioning the Snapware. This is so funny but yesterday when I was grocery shopping I found a display of these on sale (Save-On Foods for those in Canada) and bought a whole bunch of them in various sizes. I've been looking for years for a system like this so it was a happy day for me indeed!
Zeptor makes a great vacuum sealed system that preserves the food totally without oxygen for weeks on end but they are VERY expensive for the average person. Carol Alt talks about them in her raw food book. Reducing plastic, especially the soft stuff should be of major concern to all people and especially those in their reproductive years and children of course.
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For those looking for glass storage, the company Snapware makes some under the name GlassLock. I bought mine from Bed, Bath & Beyond, though, I'm sure there are other vendors/retailers where you can find them.
Also, good 'ol Pyrex, the company that makes all the glass baking stuff makes a ton of food storage containers in different sizes/capacities. GlassLock has a pretty small selection, BUT I am partial to them because they have a "locking" lid and a much better seal than the Pyrex. (Stop 'n Shop has a pretty good Pyrex selection to choose from. Pyrex make a "bake and store/bake and carry" line -- bakeware with a lid to allow for transport. This is GOOD because it can also double as a regular storage container, as well.)
Both lines are freezable.
Also, Crate & Barrel sells some glass storage, but only in a pint size container (can be bought individually or as a dozen set). These can't be frozen, though, and are much thinner glass than the two aforementioned brands. Also, my mother and friend both have the Crate & Barrel ones and have broken a couple in the set already. They seem to be harder to handle due to their lightness. . .I've done fine with mine so far, but, it's something to consider.
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You can buy a Penguin soda maker which carbonizes filtered water straight from your tap, then add soda syrup which comes in BPA-free bottles at www.GreenIrene.com/LindaMaumelle, click on shopping cart, then on "waste reduction and recycling". It doesn't take batteries or electricity to operate.
If you need your soda fix, this is a great way to reduce your waste (no more bottles or cans), no more mercury-laced high fructose corn syrup (it is sweetened with sucrose for the regular flavors, or Splenda for the diet. I know Splenda is not great either but if you're going to drink diet you know it's going to be artificially sweetened.)
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Thanks Ed B. I was wondering about my tuna cans and my husband's canned chicken.Thank you Jana Ballinger for this informative article. I appreciate being reminded and updated about things to "watch out" for.
Sharon H. Go to garage sales, save glass bottles that other products come in. I have lots of vinegar bottle I re-use to store my own homemade salad dressing.
Glass condiment bottles can be used for storing dried herbs & spices... etc.... When you are making purchases, choose smart packaging whenever you can. Seek out recipes to make what you buy and you'll use less or no plastics.
Tuna! ...... Bummer! ......
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This just blows my mind. I can not believe but i've done no research on the tomatoes in the can. When the tomatoes use to be unlined you needed to watch closely. I wa unawre about the soda cans having a lining(makes since though). Besides the glass bottle(which are very hard to get one to recycle)what do we do to make a difference? I'm thinking growing our own vegetables and freezing to be another alternative. Canned tuna(?) no idea on that one they catch more tuna than what is being eating already. Without a lab coat on there is so many things needing to be changed in the preservative department. I agree the soda would be a good start though.
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Great comment Sharon.
I'd like to add that it's not as hard as some folks think it is to kick the soda habit. I was a devoted Mt. Dew drinker for over a decade, sometimes drinking a 2 liter in just one day- yeah, it was getting bad. So, I started quitting by not allowing myself to have the stuff at home and only drinking it at work. That alone cut down my consumption by about 75%. I drank tea, green and black, at home to get my caffeine fix. After a month or so, I started brewing tea at work, too and stopped buying the Dew. It's been 6 months now, and I don't miss it at all!
I've also been looking for glassware to replace the plastics in my life. My best solution has been Mason jars and reusing any glass containers that stuff I buy comes in.
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One more thing, Xylitol also kills candida, is sweet and kills cravings and bad bacteria. I recently started with a Xylitol, vegan chocolate that is great for losing or maintaining weight and provides a nice hit of healthy sweetness. It's really different. When you drink water afterwards it's tastes like almost like chocolate milk for about a half hour after. It's organic, no chemicals. Xylitol is helpful for many things. I was quite suprised to also find out that our body's produce it daily. www.skinnywithchocolate.com. This Xylitol comes from corn but not the part of the corn that causes allergies. Organic, not GM corn. Xylitol is toxic for dogs though so be sure to keep any Xylitol products out of reach: gum, toothpaste, etc.
I'm not sure if there's any Xylitol-sweetened pop but if there is it would be a better alternative for your teeth, bones and brain but that still doesn't eliminate the garbage problem!
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It doesn't get more acidic than soda! Well, perhaps those fake waters they pass off as being healthy. They're more acidic than Coke (do a pH test if you don't believe me).
Let's drink water!!! Filtered water. Even coffee or tea is better than soda pop. For the people who need their soda, DEMAND that the companies bring back refundable glass bottles. This is the norm in Europe. I cannot believe the disgusting waste of plastic in this country and the lack of proper recycling facilities. And we're better than most countries. Eating fresh foods and eliminating anything that needs an entire disposable container would go a long way not just for our personal health but that of the entire planet's.
It's the soft and pliable plastics that are the most dangerous. Putting bottles and containers in the dishwasher breaks them down as does any heat.
If anyone knows a good source to buy some glass storage dishes, please share. I'd like to get rid of all remaining vestiges of plastic in our kitchen. I suppose we'll need plastic lids still but so long as they don't touch the food, it's better than a plastic dish. Now I've been keeping stuff in glass jars or our regular dishes but would like a nice system to organize our messy fridge!
Tip from me: if you have cravings for pop, use EFT: www.emofree.com and perhaps GABA will help too. It helps most but not all people to kill cravings since they start in the brain. Minerals are depleted from soda so replace those too!
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