Chemical in Canned Foods Could Be Toxic

A report claims that canned food exposes us to a harmful chemical at levels high enough to cause real damage.

By Emily Main, Rodale.com

Your can of soup could put your health at risk, and not just because it contains way too much salt. A report published by the National Workgroup for Safe Markets, a coalition of public- and environmental health-advocacy groups, reveals that cans of food expose people to dangerous levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting chemical that has been linked to everything from childhood aggression to obesity and heart disease.

THE DETAILS: Consumer Reports conducted similar tests on BPA in canned food a few months ago, but this new report, titled “No Silver Lining,” looks at the levels in canned food products as well as how much BPA an average person would ingest from eating the foods packaged in those cans. The authors collected 50 samples of canned food from home pantries in 19 states and one Canadian province, and had them tested by an independent lab to determine BPA levels in each can. Then, they calculated how much an average-weight (156.5 pounds) woman in her 20s would ingest from a typical daily diet of canned and fresh foods (they focused on young women because they are most likely to go on to bear children, and more and more studies are finding that some of the most damaging effects of BPA in children happen while they’re in utero).

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The laboratory detected BPA in 92 percent of the canned foods, ranging in levels from non-detectable to 1,140 parts per billion. In terms of what that means to people eating canned food, here’s a brief summary of what they found:

• By eating a serving of canned peaches with breakfast, a can of ravioli for lunch, a can of chicken noodle soup as a snack, canned chili for dinner, and using coconut milk in a dessert a woman could ingest 75.4 μg, or 1.06 μg/kg body weight of BPA;

• By eating a serving of canned peaches with breakfast, a can of lentil soup for lunch, and tuna casserole made with canned tuna, peas, cream of mushroom soup, and vegetable broth for dinner, followed by bananas in canned coconut milk for dessert, she could ingest 87.28 μg, or 1.23 μg/kg body weight of BPA through canned foods alone.

• By eating no canned goods in the morning and afternoon, and just one can of soda and a single serving of green beans at dinnertime, she could ingest 138.19 μg, or 1.95 μg/kg body weight of BPA.

That can of soda could damage your health more than previously thought.

Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that an exposure level of 50 μg/kg body weight of BPA per day is safe, the authors note that these low levels have been found in both human and animal studies to be linked with aggressive behavior, changes in breast tissue and other reproductive organs, and long-term reproductive health problems.

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rene d.

1:01AM PDT on Sep 19, 2012

thanks 4 the info!

September 19
send a green star

Joe R.

7:46AM PDT on Jul 30, 2012

Thanks.

July 30
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Past Member .

8:27AM PDT on Sep 7, 2011

Thanks for sharing!

September 7
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Kay M.

7:44PM PDT on May 10, 2011

Great article. Thank you for sharing it with others!

May 10
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Eternal G.

1:10AM PDT on Mar 31, 2011

Good that that info is out there, now to find a solution!

March 31
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Shannon B.

2:48PM PST on Feb 27, 2011

to Akesha Wilton

thank you for the recipe! i saved it to try this week :)
now, does anyone have a good marinara sauce recipe?
i know this is going a little off topic, i hope y'all don't mind :D

February 27
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Barbara s.

11:51AM PST on Feb 27, 2011

I read the report...it is the canned food put into the cans with the PLASTIC COATING on the INSIDEof the can... NOT ALL CANNED FOOD.... It contains that BPA in the coating...

Barbara E.

7:13PM PST on Feb 26, 2011

thanx

February 26
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Vera Y.

12:11AM PST on Feb 26, 2011

Akesha W.

4:18AM PST on Feb 25, 2011

Well..you can avoid having canned food.I rarely buy them as most of the times I make all my meals from scratch.As an asian I'm used to making meals from fresh veggies and herbs and it has an Ayurvedic value as well.
For a healthy tomato soup you dont have to use tinned tomatoes.First, peel the tomatoes. Do this by making a small cut in the skin then plunging the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute.
Run cold water over the tomatoes and the skins can then easily be peeled off. Cut the peeled tomatoes in half Place the halved tomatoes on the baking tray, cut side upwards. Sprinkle the garlic over the tomatoes and spread the basil leaves over the top.Sprinkle two tablespoons of olive oil over the basil and tomatoes. Place the baking tray in the middle of the oven and leave it there for an hour.
When the tomatoes are roasted place it in a pan with 470 ml (1 pint) cold water. Add 2 star anise and a couple of shakes of Worcester Sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.Leave it for 10 minutes then remove the Star Anise seeds and then use the food blender to puree the soup.Add few of finely chopped garlic cloves and Serve and garnish with a couple of parsley sprigs or basil sprigs if any is left.

serve hot.Good solution for Cholesterol.