Health Canada Finds BPA in Canned Drink Products
Health Canada has published the results of a survey it conducted to detect and measure levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in canned beverages such as soft drinks, tea and energy drinks. The federal agency detected the chemical in nearly all of the samples tested, with some of the highest levels appearing in energy drinks containing caffeine. Health Canada scientists detected no BPA in two tonic water products and one energy drink product. According to the survey, “It is believed that quinine hydrochloride, which is commonly used as a bittering agent in tonic type drinks, may interfere with BPA extraction.”
While the levels found in the beverages were below regulatory limits, some scientists are reportedly concerned that the large number of sources of exposure may pose cumulative risks to human health. University of Missouri biologist Frederick vom Saal contends that harmful effects of the chemical, which mimics the effects of estrogen in the body and has purportedly been linked to hormonally caused illnesses, occur at concentrations up to 1,000 times below Health Canada’s safety limit. The level of BPA found in each of the canned beverages, at about half a part per billion, is apparently 500 times more than the level of naturally occurring estrogen circulating in most people.
Industry representatives deemed the BPA levels that Health Canada found “extremely low,” noting that an adult would have to consume 900 cans daily to exceed the government’s safety level. See Globe and Mail, March 5, 2009.
