Next time you open a can of food, take a close look at the inside of the can. Most cans are lined with plastics and for decades, a chemical called BPA was commonly used in these plastics. . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that BPA moves from the linings into the foods during processing and storage. And although FDA has refused to require food companies to use safer linings, we now have some good news: BPA is almost gone from food cans.
Of the thousands of synthetic chemicals that we are exposed to every day, BPA (bisphenol A) stands out. While most chemicals have long tongue twisters for names that most of us don’t recognize, many of us recognize BPA. And while we know almost nothing about the health hazards of most of those tongue twisters, BPA has been the focus of hundreds of scientific studies in the last few decades.
In 2017, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH)identified lining materials in about 250 popular canned foods using a common but high tech instrument called an infrared spectrometer. We found BPA linings in about 40% of the cans we studied. To see how can linings have changed over the last two years, we recently repurchased 50 of the cans that had BPA linings in 2017. Here’s what we found: 48 of the 50 cans had lining materials that did not contain BPA. This is good news for all of us.
Why do we care about BPA, especially in canned food?
According to expert scientists, BPA is a chemical that disrupts the normal functions of our bodies’ hormones. Exposure to BPA, according to these same scientists, has been linked with an alarming list of diseases including obesity, diabetes, fertility problems, early menopause, low sperm count, prostate cancer, and breast changes associated with breast cancer.
You’re probably wondering why this dramatic shift occurred in the absence of federal action. You are the reason! Can companies moved away from BPA because of your advocacy and your use of your food dollars to purchase foods not packaged with BPA. Thank you.
We are now left with a new challenge. The new can lining materials are not nearly as well studied as BPA. Their possible health hazards are a mystery. In many cases, only the companies know exactly what’s in them. Food cans are convenient, and they are easily recyclable, so we’d like to see their safety thoroughly documented. We urge the industry to take the next step and comprehensively review the safety of BPA replacements.
Caroline Cox, CEH
