Harmful Chemicals Found in Canned Foods
Chemicals in Canned Food
Lisa Poole, AP
By Katherine Tweed
Many mothers tossed their baby bottles following reports that the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), found in certain plastic and food-can liners, can cause a range of health problems. BPA is a known endocrine disrupter, which has been linked in studies with reproductive problems and may even cause certain cancers.
BPA is still widely used in the food manufacturing business, however, and the December 2009 issue of Consumer Reports found that the levels of the chemical vary widely in packaged foods.
Consumer Reports tested 19 name-brand canned foods, including juice, vegetables and soups. BPA showed up in nearly all brands, including organic foods and some labeled "BPA-free."
The report comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews their guidelines for what safe levels are. In 2008, Canada banned BPA in baby bottles over health concerns. Currently, the upper limit of safe exposure set by the FDA is 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day. However, recent studies in animals have found reproductive problems attributed to BPA at much lower levels.
The highest concentrations were found in Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans Blue Lake (35.9 parts per billon (ppb) to 191 ppb), Progresso Vegetable Soup (67 to 134 ppb) and Campbell's Condensed Chicken Soup (54.5 to 102 ppb).
Those levels are still far below the safe exposure levels set by the government. The FDA figures that an exposure of just over 20 ppb translates into 0.185 micrograms for a 132-pound person who eats about 6.5 pounds of food a day.
Industry groups, such as the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, claim that these levels are completely safe, and BPA allows for canned foods to be sterilized at high temperatures. Consumer Union, the non-profit that publishes Consumer Reports, argues that the risk is still great.
"The findings are noteworthy because they indicate the extent of potential exposure," Urvashi Rangan, PhD, director of technical policy at Consumer Union, said in a statement. "Children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones we found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA near levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies. The lack of any safety margin between the levels that cause harm in animals and those that people could potentially ingest from canned foods has been inadequately addressed by the FDA to date."
Consumer Reports' food-safety scientists recommend daily safe exposure levels to be set at 0.0024 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. The FDA could have a finalized review of BPA as early as this fall.
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shanedieselblack 02:30:43 AM Nov 06 2009
Rush Limpball and Glenn "Buy Me a Drink" Beck say is OK. this stuff won't hurt you. Eat up! don't listen to those damn liberals spreading lies about our food. filthy liberals should go to hell
Eckstream1 07:56:40 PM Nov 05 2009
Parris2180- MSG was put in foods. MSG will made you feel full after eating only a few bits. Most eat less with MSG./////////// How is that a bad thing anyway? Most people eat too much.... I hate paying for extra luggage on flights and then getting crammed next to a fat passenger who didnt pay extra for thier weight! I love your insight on margarine as well! First time I laughed all day!!!!! Thanks
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sealtheboarder 06:11:44 PM Nov 05 2009
I cannot believe the friggn IDIOTS on this post!!!!!!!!!!!!! MSG does NOT come from seaweed, seaweed contains gulmatic acid!!!! MSG is made from a fermentation process and if you are afraid of it watch out for tomatoes which have naturally occuring glutimate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES!!!!!!!!!!! MSG has NEVER KILLED ANYONE and all it is a flavor enhancer...not designed to make you feel full YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!! Margarine was NOT developed to feed to turkeys!!!!! It was developed in France in the 1800's and became popular in the USA in the early 1900's. The supidity is astounding!!!!!!!
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Parris2189 05:14:52 PM Nov 05 2009
Now msg is in many food and it is in Campbells chicken soups, many restaurants use MSG and MSG has made lots of people sick, some times restaurants put too much MSG in food and it well made people sick.. MSG is from a sea weed, slim off of a sea weed, most restaurants with food bar's use MSG. None post "We Use MSG" But some post "We Do Not Use MSG". MSG has killed people. If you have got sick in a restaurant and ate there many times before, could be too much MSG was put in foods. MSG will made you feel full after eating only a few bits. Most eat less with MSG.
