Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – A new report was released on Tuesday, which states that common canned foods contain high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), the National Workgroup for Safe Markets said.

Senator Diane Feinstein, along with environmental health advocates, stood on Capitol Hill and announced the alarming levels of BPA in everyday canned foods, which expose U.S. families to a synthetic sex hormone, and has been linked to cancer, abnormal behavior, diabetes and heart disease, infertility, developmental and reproductive harm, and obesity.

The study, entitled “No Silver Lining”, tested food from 50 cans, including brand name fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, soups, tomato products, sodas, and milks, which encompass everyday food sources. The cans were taken from 19 different U.S. states and one Canadian province and examined for BPA contamination. Over 90% of the cans tested had detectable levels of BPA, some at higher levels than have been detected in previous studies.

“We commissioned this study to see what levels might be consumed from canned foods consumed by millions of Americans everyday,” explains Mia Davis from Clean Water Action.

Even small amounts of BPA have been found extremely harmful, and levels in canned food were found to be the same or similar to levels of BPA found in the urine of over 90% of Americans by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and cord blood of newborn babies. Governments and brand names must take quick and effective actions for the safety of North American consumers.

“General Mills announced it is removing BPA from its organic tomatoes’ cans, so we know that companies that want to do the right thing, will, but we need the FDA to commit to an outright ban protect consumers,” Mike Schade from Center for Health, Environment & Justice, said.

“BPA in canned foods is just one of thousands of ways we are exposed to dangerous chemicals in everyday products,” Andy Igrejas, with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, representing 200 environmental and public health groups, noted. “The proposed Safe Chemicals Act needs to be strengthened and passed so that people, especially children, are not bombarded with such hazards.”

Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Vermont, along with three counties in New York and the City of Chicago have already banned BPA from baby bottles and children’s sippy cups, but only Connecticut and Vermont restrict the use of BPA in cans of baby food.

Denmark has recently become the first country to enact a BPA ban and Canada has banned BPA in baby bottles while the French Senate is working to impose restrictions. Japan asked manufacturers for voluntary restriction of BPA from canned food in 1998 and saw a decline in their population’s levels of contamination.