Bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to quite a few illnesses, including; infertility, breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and attention deficit disorder.
Baby bottles containing this chemical have recently been phased out in the major retailers in Australia.
Food cans often use quite acidic solutions to help in the preservation of the food they contain. To protect the metal in the can from corroding and spoiling the food, BPA is found in the epoxy resins which are used to seal the inside of those cans.
A recent study by CHOICE has found that BPA is being found in the food from these cans. 38 cans randomly selcted from a supermarket were tested and 29 were found to have BPA levels that some experts think may be harmful.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand and other food safety authorities around the world consider that, based on current science, it is safe to consume 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day.
In the CHOICE study, none of the cans had levels of even ten percent of this level. Their concern is that there are an incresing number of scientist around the world who are saying that this currently acceptable level is too high and further esearch is needed.
Australia’s largest canneries have been in the process, for some time, of reviewing their can coatings to determine how BPA can be removed from them. This is due to the increasing public interest, and concern in this chemical.
