
01/26/2010: Please check out this great interview with Planet Green this morning: How Plastic-Free Living is Done: An Interview with Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish.

January 13, 2009

Bisphenol-A (aka BPA): What is it? Where is it? Why do we care?

Last week, I posted a little video tour of my kitchen in which I made some remarks about BPA in canned foods. I’ve been receiving all kinds of comments and questions about this issue, so I thought I’d address it directly.

Bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, is a component of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It’s been the subject of much recent concern as studies have shown it to be an endocrine disruptor that builds up in our bodies over time. Low doses may cause chronic toxicity in humans, posing the highest risk to pregant women, infants, and young children.

Bisphenol-A only poses a risk if it leaches out of the resin and into our bodies. While much focus has been on polycarbonate water and baby bottles, there is a greater danger from the epoxy linings of canned foods because of the high heats at which they are processed.

BPA in Cans

NEARLY ALL CANNED FOODS CONTAIN BPA. This fact came as a surprise to some Fake Plastic Fish readers. To date, I am only aware of three brands of canned foods that have specifically found alternatives to BPA linings (thanks to FPF reader Christy B.) These brands are:

Eden Organics beans. Note: Eden’s canned tomatoes do contain BPA.

Henry & Lisa’s Natural Seafood

Vital Choice

A December 26, 2008 article from Natural News confirms that as of this writing, these are the only BPA-free brands of canned foods.

There has been some misunderstanding about whether or not Trader Joe’s uses BPA in its cans because of some faulty information provided by its customer service reps. Please check out the discussion in the comments of this Mama Knows Breast blog post for some enlightenment about trusting the statements of customer service reps. Trader Joe’s cans do, in fact, contain BPA.

And what about Whole Foods? They have eliminated BPA-containing bottles from their stores, but Whole Foods’ Statement on BPA does not mention cans. The writer of the Family Health & Safety blog published a response from Whole Foods about a year ago stating that there is BPA in their cans. I personally left a phone message on January 9 with Whole Foods corporate office about BPA lining in 365 Brand cans. (512) 477-5566 x20020. I have not heard back yet. I believe we can safely assume that until Whole Foods publishes otherwise, their 365 Organics canned foods do contain BPA.

What about glass jars?

While buying food in glass jars may be safer than metal cans or plastic containers, there is still a small BPA risk posed by the metal lids. Yes, it’s true. Most metal jar lids contain a BPA lining. Still, the surface to product ratio is minimal compared to cans. My own life is not so completely plastic-free that I won’t buy pasta sauce in glass jars with metal lids. But I just thought I’d mention this because if I don’t, one of you will!

BPA in plastic bottles & containers

BPA is a monomer in polycarbonate plastics, including hard plastic water bottles, baby bottles, the large bottles on the top of water coolers, and the container found on your Cuisinart and other plastic food processor, blender, and juicer containers. (In April 2008, Vita-Mix announced a new BPA-free model, but previous models do contain BPA.) This is why I have mostly stopped using my food processor and opt instead to use my blender with glass pitcher. (I do wonder what kind of plastic is in the bottom.) Other possible items made from polycarbonate are hard plastic drinking cups, plates, and bowls.

Brita pitchers, by the way, are not made from polycarbonate and do not contain BPA.

CDs and DVDs are also made from polycarbonate, as are eye glasses and other hard plastic items. However, since we don’t eat many of these, I think we’re safe. They do carry the pollution hazards of all plastics, of course.

Polycarbonate plastic carries the #7 recycling symbol. But not all #7s are polycarbonate, unfortunately. #7 is a catch-all for plastics that don’t fit into the first 6 categories, including bio-based plastics. The suggestion from consumer groups is if you are trying to avoid BPA, it’s best to avoid all hard #7 plastics unless they specifically state they are BPA-free. Still, you won’t know what else could be leaching from them, will you? My personal suggestion is to opt for glass whenever possible.

If you do choose to use polycarbonate, you can minimize your risk in several ways: don’t fill them with hot foods, don’t wash them in the dishwasher, and don’t scratch them or use harsh detergents or abrasives on them. Rough handling breaks down the plastic and can cause the BPA to leach more than it otherwise might have.

BPA in your teeth?

Scary but true. One of my Green Sangha friends shared with me that her daughter was subjected to a dental sealant treatment at school without my friend’s permission. Wow. Times have changed. Most dental sealants do contain BPA, as do some composite fillings. Scientists are divided about whether they leach and whether the amount of leaching is harmful. But BPA-free alternatives do exist, and you can ask for them.

I’ve had a few teeth sealed, and they probably do contain BPA. However, I was happy to learn last year that the hard plastic Invisalign retainers I put in my mouth every night do not contain either BPA or phthalate plasticizers, according to the company’s FAQ.

Further Information on BPA

Here are a few blogs that focus a lot of attention on the issue of BPA:

Non-Toxic Kids
The Smart Mama
Enviroblog

Hope this helps.

January 13, 2009 by Beth Terry
Filed under: Bisphenol-A (BPA)
Tags:

Comments

13 Comments on Bisphenol-A (aka BPA): What is it? Where is it? Why do we care?

Carol in Seattle on Tue, 13th Jan 2009 1:48 pm

Ok, assume I’m an idiot, but is the BPA in the can itself (part of the metal) or is it a lining?

John Costigane on Tue, 13th Jan 2009 2:21 pm

That is a shocker, Beth. I assumed only plastic bottles had this problem. Ideally, it should be banned worldwide.

Green Bean on Tue, 13th Jan 2009 3:34 pm

The teeth thing is tough. Composite fillings contain BPA and all kids of scary stuff. Amalgam fillings, on the other hand, contain mercury. Not sure which is the best bet.

Your post, btw, is a great incentive to make your own or buy in bulk. I used to buy canned beans all the time. Now I just soak some bought in bulk overnight and toss them in the slow cooker. Saves money, saves packaging and apparently also saves BPA.

Anarres Natural Health on Tue, 13th Jan 2009 4:44 pm

In general, I believe that all plastics that aren’t pure resin such as bakelite (which is the screw on bottom part of most blenders) leach something, mostly “plasticizerts” that are endocrine (hormone) disruptors.

Just to make things bleaker, up here in Canadada, Eden foods says that one of their plants uses BPA in the can liners and the other doesn’t – no way of knowing which you are getting!

Grrr. Better soak and cook those beans myself. Ahh for lost innicense!

joynodoubt on Tue, 13th Jan 2009 7:58 pm

Wow, that is very scary. Just like John, I thought only plastic bottles contained BPA. Its sad that almost all things we humans use/buy contain harmful chemicals. It just doesn’t make sense!

Christy B. on Tue, 13th Jan 2009 11:02 pm

Very disturbing. I spent a small fortune removing the mercury fillings from my mouth.

Now I wonder if I exchanged mercury for BPA? I wonder how fair of a trade that is?!

I will be calling my dentist’s office tomorrow.

Robj98168 on Wed, 14th Jan 2009 12:03 am

What a let down! How can I enjoy my beenie weenies if I know there is BPA in them? Poop.

ON happier news I recieved the Skoy Clothes today! Lvely little items- Can’t wait until it is time to microwave them!

Elle on Wed, 14th Jan 2009 9:19 am

Since I do not have a near-by source for bulk foods right now, I am wondering what type of plastic the bag that dried beans come in? Is that plastic bag storing the dried beans “better” than the BPA lining the can?

Chiot's Run on Wed, 14th Jan 2009 10:02 am

This is why I changed all of my fridge/freezer container to glass this past year (they do have plastic lids, but I make sure to not fill enough for food to touch them). This is also why I preserve some food myself (although I’m sure the Ball lids contains BPA liners). I’ll be upgrading all of my canning jars to Weck with glass lids and rubber seals in the coming years.

This is a great incentive to grow your own and cook from scratch.

I’m assuming that if beans/dried goods come in plastic bags that the leaching isn’t as much as with wet heat processed foods, but perhaps I’m wrong.

Maya on Wed, 14th Jan 2009 11:35 am

After your previous BPA post I emailed Whole Foods (bottom line: cans have BPA in them) because I was concerned that I’d been given wrong information and here is the response I received:

“Hello Maya,

With few exceptions, the can linings of aluminum cans in our stores do contain bisphenol-a (BPA) in the lining material. This is true of most aluminum cans in the US and does include our Private Label products.

We are actively assessing the safety of the packaging materials used in our stores, as we are committed to helping our customers protect themselves and their families and as such are concerned about the growing body of research which connects BPA and other estrogenic compounds to certain health effects. The FDA says that such materials are safe as a food contact surface. However, we are currently evaluating certain products and packaging materials on a variety of criteria, including endocrine activity, toxicity, recyclability and functionality. Our goal is to help our shoppers avoid endocrine-active materials in products and packaging where functional alternatives exist.

We actively follow academic research regarding the endocrine activity of substances present in plastics, including BPA. When appropriate, we have stopped the sale of certain products and/or provided information to our customers about the products. For example, as of January 2006 we stopped selling baby bottles and child drinking cups made from polycarbonate plastic or other plastics with added phthalates because of the emerging scientific evidence on their risk.

We are also actively supporting our suppliers’ transition to non-BPA materials where functional alternatives exist. For example, the majority of the refillable individual water bottles in our stores were once made from polycarbonate plastic. Currently, nearly all of those bottles are made from other materials. Polycarbonate plastic is still used in certain large plastic bottles and aluminum can linings in our stores; we are working with manufacturers to strongly encourage the development of alternative products.

We are closely examining the packaging materials used in our stores, and we will continue to search for the safest and most functional packaging materials for our stores.

Best regards,

Rachael

Rachael Gruver | Global Customer Information Specialist | Whole Foods Market | 550 Bowie Street | Austin, Texas 78703″

Rosa on Wed, 14th Jan 2009 11:48 am

Elle, the plastic bags ought to be safer than the can linings, just because they haven’t been heated (as the cans are, in the sealing process) and there isn’t any liquid for the chemicals to move through to get into the beans.

Which doesn’t solve the problem of general contamination from plastics in the environment, but does make your personal consupmtion of BPA a little.

Canadian on Wed, 14th Jan 2009 7:31 pm

Do canning jar lids (for glass Mason jars) contain BPA also? I imagine it must be the same substance as the pasta jars? I don’t normally buy pasta sauce but I do can my own food and thought I was avoiding BPA by doing so.

» BPA (Bisphenol-A) and Lead in Food, Oh My! Naturopathic Experts: The Naturopathic Perspective on Thu, 14th Jan 2010 4:46 pm

[...] and Lead in Food, Oh My! Published in January 14th, 2010 Posted by Dr Philhower in Blog Click here for a great synopsis of what BPA is and why it is not something you want to eat. For most of us [...]

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