"BPA-free" foods found to contain BPA

Tuesday, December 08, 2009 by: E. Huff, staff writer
Tags: BPA, canned foods, health news

(NaturalNews) A recent analysis of canned foods revealed that, across the board, the cans contained measurable levels of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, a toxin known to cause hormonal problems, sexual dysfunction, cancer, and other abnormalities. Even among products labeled "BPA-free", tests revealed levels of BPA significant enough to cause problems.

Released by the Consumers Union, a non-profit organization in charge of publishing Consumer Reports, the report adds fuel to the fire in the growing opposition to BPA's use in food products. Consumer advocacy groups are demanding that the FDA ban BPA from being used in any products that come into contact with food and beverages.

For years, the FDA has denied that BPA is dangerous, basing its non-concern upon flawed studies and incomplete evidence. When compelled to reinvestigate the issue, the FDA began reviewing the evidence once again. When question about the current report, an FDA spokesman had no response other than that the review was almost complete and that a "decision [about] how to proceed" would be made soon.

Manufacturers often use BPA in their food linings because it works as an effective food preservative. Yet the levels found in many of the consumer products tested were high enough to cause serious abnormalities in people, especially children.

Several supposed BPA-free items, including tuna cans that did not have the typical epoxy lining that is the primary source of BPA leeching, is concerning. It is unclear how the BPA made its way into these particular cans. Dr. Urvashi Rangan, director of technical policy at Consumers Union, believes it could have come from the factory where the product was made, from seawater, or from the fish itself. The company's owner has indicated that it will work to find the source and fix the problem.

Public outcry over the dangers of BPA has led to many manufacturers removing the additive from their product containers. Several major retailers have removed all items containing BPA from their shelves as well as six baby bottle manufacturers who eliminated the additive from their bottle ingredients last March. The city of Chicago and Suffolk County, New York, have also made provisions banning all baby bottles and other baby beverage containers made with BPA.

Thanks to consumer advocacy groups who continue to sound the alarm about the dangers of BPA, it is slowly disappearing from product labels. Hopefully, as continued investigation and exposure holds manufacturers' feet to the fire, BPA will be eliminated from "BPA-free" items as well.

Sources for this story include
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nati...