Health Canada Says BPA in Canned Foods Poses No Risk; Germany Advises Manufacturers to Find Alternatives
Health Canada’s Bureau of Chemical Safety has released a survey of bisphenol A (BPA) in canned foods that finds low rates of exposure and no risk to public health. Researchers apparently examined samples from 78 domestic and imported canned food products, including pastas, soups, tomato paste, tuna and vegetables. The results indicated that canned tuna products and condensed soups had “the highest BPA levels, in general,” while tomato paste had levels that were “considerably lower.”
According to Health Canada, these findings “are consistent with those of past surveys and are not considered to represent a human health concern.” The agency, however, reiterated its commitment to working with the food packaging industry “to better identify the factors which may influence BPA migration to food, with a goal to limit human exposure to BPA to the greatest extent possible.”
In a related development, Germany’s environmental agency, Umweltbundesamt (UBA), has advised manufacturers, importers and consumers to find alternatives to BPA “that pose less risk to human health and the environment.” Claiming that the substance “acts like the female hormone oestrogen,” a June 9, 2010, UBA press release urges the public to avoid BPA “for reasons of precaution” and announces the availability of a background report titled Bisphenol A – a chemical with adverse effects produced in large quantities. The report apparently maintains that “numerous studies” have linked BPA to disruptions in the “hormone system of mammals and aquatic organisms.”
Meanwhile, Consumers Union (CU) has welcomed the paper “for declaring that in order to protect human health, the use of [BPA] in certain products should be limited and that consumers should chose [sic] safer alternatives.” In a June 9 statement, the U.S. watchdog also noted pending local, state and federal legislation designed to ban BPA in all food and beverage containers. “Consumers Union believes that there is enough scientific evidence to date to warrant a ban on BPA in all food contact products now,” said CU Technical Director for Policy Urvashi Rangan.
