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.”

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Jessie D.

3:36PM PST on Jan 27, 2012

send a green star

Mervi R.

5:01PM PDT on May 29, 2010

So scary...

Sue R.

12:38PM PDT on May 18, 2010

So what the government is telling us, is that a little poison is okay. I am surprised that people allow this.

Jessica S.

3:27PM PST on Feb 6, 2010

thanks

Past Member .

7:34AM PST on Jan 16, 2010

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deborah c.

5:51AM PDT on Mar 16, 2009

Whats next??? Why not just skip all these
"FDA Approved" containers, and give us just plain ole' cancer in a bottle.

Kathryn H.

1:43PM PDT on Mar 15, 2009

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!

Sharon H.

12:56PM PST on Mar 7, 2009

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.

Elizabeth A.

11:29PM PST on Mar 6, 2009

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.

Linda T.

9:29PM PST on Mar 6, 2009

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.)