BPA Continues to Spark Controversy

A new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that volunteers who consumed a serving of canned soup each day for five consecutive days had a more than 1,000 percent increase in urinary bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations compared with the same individuals who then consumed fresh soup daily for five days. 

 

However, the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA) believes it is critically important that consumers are made aware of the potential misrepresentation of the small survey of canned soups as reported in the research, which is being published in Journal of the American Medical Association. As noted in a statement issued by NAMPA Chairman Dr. John Rost, “The presence of bisphenol A (BPA) as reported by this study gives consumers no new information about health effects from BPA exposure from canned foods. The presence of BPA in the urine does not indicate a health risk.” In fact, what this study does confirm for consumers is that BPA is quickly excreted from the body through urine.  

 

The study was undertaken to determine how people are getting exposed to BPA, for which previous studies have linked elevated BPA levels with adverse health effects, said Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and lead author of the study. Exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical BPA, used in the lining of metal food and beverage cans, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity in humans. In addition to the lining of food and beverage cans, BPA is also found in polycarbonate bottles (identified by the recycling number 7) and dentistry composites and sealants.

 

The researchers, led by Carwile and Karin Michels, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, set out to quantify whether canned-soup consumption would increase urinary BPA concentrations relative to eating fresh soup.

Urine samples of the 75 volunteers taken during the testing showed that consumption of a serving of canned soup daily was associated with a 1,221 percent increase in BPA compared with levels in urine collected after consumption of fresh soup. However, the researchers also noted that the elevation in urinary BPA concentrations may be temporary and that further research is needed to quantify its duration.

 

“The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected and may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily. It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings,” said Michels, senior author of the study.

 

NAMPA, on the other hand, did not find the levels to be unexpected. “The BPA exposure levels cited are not surprising, and in fact, are consistent with similar surveys of packaged food conducted within the past year by international government agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada,” said Dr. Rost. 

“These government regulatory authorities, which are much more familiar with the benefits of epoxy resins and the limitations of alternatives for most canned goods, have consistently concluded that current exposures through canned foods do not pose a health risk to consumers, including newborns and infants.” 

 

“As consumers evaluate the science on BPA, one particular study, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and conducted by a team of scientists from the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, offers compelling evidence that BPA is highly unlikely to cause human health effects. This comprehensive, first-of-its-kind clinical exposure study offers definitive evidence that even the highest exposure levels of BPA from canned foods and beverages did not lead to detectable amounts in the human blood stream, rendering it doubtful that BPA could cause health effects because the substance would never reach target organs.”

 

Dr. Rost noted, “Consumers need to remember that BPA-based epoxy coatings are used to keep food safe by enabling high temperature sterilization that eliminates the dangers of food poisoning from microbial contaminants and maintains the integrity of the can for continued protection against contaminants. According to FDA records, there has not been an incidence of foodborne illness from a failure in metal packaging in more than 36 years.”