BPA in Your Food

by Nicholas Smith - Community Market's Marketing Director 12/1/09

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that has been highly publicized recently in both the underground press and in mainstream media. BPA is a building block of plastic and is used in the linings of cans, water bottles, baby bottles, and many other types of containers. In June of 2009, the Endocrine Society (site) released a statement warning of the health threat presented by BPA, which is now known to be an endocrine disruptor. According to the statement, low-level exposure to BPA adversely affects male and female reproduction, thyroid function, metabolism, and could increase obesity.

The most recent study on BPA was conducted by Consumer Reports. It found that nearly all of the 19 name-brand organic and non organic foods they tested contained BPA. Even brands that were labeled “BPA-free” were found to contain traces of this controversial chemical. A section of the report stated, “Consumers eating just one serving of the canned vegetable soup we tested would get about double what the FDA now considers typical average dietary daily exposure.”

As evidence of the harmful effects of BPA flood the American media, the chemical industry still maintains that there is no cause for alarm. Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council dismissed the testing, stating that the human body only absorbs a minute amount of the BPA found in its products, and that the excess is excreted harmlessly.

One reason for the influx of research on BPA is the Food and Drug Administration’s recent announcement of levels of BPA it considers to be safe. Considering the FDA’s history of protecting corporations and their products instead of consumers, it is unknown what will come of their decision. The last time BPA was brought up to the Food and Drug Administration, they concluded that the levels found in products on the American market appeared to be safe. In October 2008, a scientific panel of advisers to the FDA condemned that conclusion, saying the agency had ignored crucial studies and used flawed methods; therefore, the agency’s review of BPA research goes on.

Even if you are concerned about low levels of BPA in your food, there is not much you can do to avoid it. The Center of Disease Control & Prevention says 92% of Americans already have trace amounts of BPA in their urine. Scholars have noted some increasing reports of boys born with malformed genitals, girls who begin puberty at age 6 or 8 or even earlier, breast cancer in both women and men, and declining sperm counts among men, all due to low level exposure of BPA.

Last year Canada became the first country to conclude that BPA can be hazardous to humans, and Massachusetts issued a public health advisory in August warning against any exposure to BPA by pregnant or breast-feeding women or by children under the age of 2. The biggest move was Chicago’s City Council unanimously adopting a measure making Chicago the nation's first city to ban the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups manufactured with BPA.

Even as many cities take action with or without the FDA’s approval, as consumers we can only hope that the administration (FDA) that prides itself on “protecting the American consumer” actually does just that and forces companies to find a safe alternative (refer to Eden’s alternative below). Until the FDA truly starts performing its supposed mission of protecting the health of the American citizen, we must be very conscious of what exactly is in the foods we eat and feed to our families.