Research Reveals Shocking Dangers,
Past Deceptions, and Important Information
Related to BPA in Your Favorite Foods
"Hussssh"?:What the FDA, EPA, and Big Corporations
DIDN’T Want You to Know!
© 2020 Health Realizations, Inc. Update
Since 2007, there have been University study findings regarding health risks identified from BPA (Bisphenol-A). What you need to know and share with your loved ones.
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a widely used industrial chemical that has been directly “linked” to reproductive abnormalities and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes and heart disease.
|
Is it safe to get your foods and beverages out of cans or bottles? New research says maybe not. Possibly a grave understatement once you learn more!
|
More than 100 peer-reviewed studies have found BPA is toxic even at low doses, yet it continues to be used in:
-
Plastic water bottles
-
Plastic gallon milk bottles
-
Plastic microwavable plates, ovenware, and utensils
-
Tooth sealants
-
Glasses
-
Baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups
-
WARNING: If plastic container does not state “made with LDPE (low density polyethylene) plastic”, which is BPA-free… it likely has BPA.
But there is another source of BPA that is very commonly used, yet not associated with the “plastic” products common to BPA: Canned foods and beverages also often contain BPA, as most have a plastic lining inside the can.
New Research Finds BPA in Canned Foods, Soups, Juices and More
Consumer reports tested for BPA in a variety of canned and non-canned products such as soup, vegetables, tuna, infant formula and more, from 19 brand names such as Campbell’s, Chef Boyardee, Del Monte, Nestle, and Progresso.
Their tests found BPA in almost all of the foods, ranging from trace levels to 191 parts per billion. Specifically:
-
The highest levels of BPA were found in canned green beans and canned soup.
-
Consumers eating just one serving of the canned vegetable soup Consumer Reports tested would get about double what the FDA considers typical average dietary daily exposure.
-
A 165-pound adult who eats one serving of canned green beans from Consumer Reports’ sample (which had an average of 123.5 ppb), could ingest about 0.2 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day, which is about 80 times higher than their experts' recommended daily upper limit.
-
Children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels similar to those tested would ingest BPA levels close to those that have caused adverse effects in animal studies.
Further, organic brands tested did not always have lower BPA levels than non-organic brands, and BPA was even found in some canned foods labeled “BPA-free.”
How Bisphenol-A (BPA) Is Contaminating Your Food
Two-Year Old Study Also Raised Serious Concerns About BPA in Canned Foods
A 2007 study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found some concerning findings about BPA in canned foods … findings that are now being echoed five years later.
The group contracted a national analytic laboratory to test 97 cans of food purchased at three major chain supermarkets in the United States. Thirty brands of food were tested, including varieties such as soda, canned tuna, peaches, pineapples, green beans, corn, infant formula and tomato and chicken noodle soups. What did they find?
-
One in 10 cans of food tested -- and one in three cans of infant formula -- contained enough BPA in a single serving to expose a woman or infant to BPA levels more than 200 times the government's traditional safe level of exposure for industrial chemicals.
-
Among the worst foods tested -- chicken soup, infant formula and ravioli -- just one to three servings of the food contained levels of BPA that caused serious adverse effects in animal tests.
“The bulk of BPA exposure definitely comes from food," says Jovana Ruzicic, a spokesperson for the Environmental Working Group.
The FDA estimates that 17 percent of the U.S. diet is composed of canned foods, yet there are currently no government safety standards limiting the amount of BPA in canned food.
Deceptions by Corporations, US Gov’t and Tens of Millions in Tax Dollars
Studies of Bisphenol-A: Food Containers, Effects on Humans, Gov't Regs
As a matter of fact, the last time the FDA examined BPA exposures from food at all was in 1996, but no safety standard was set at that time.
Currently, federal guidelines based on decades-old research put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight. However, this level has not been updated to reflect the new research that’s come out in recent 5 to 6 years, showing adverse health effects from BPA even at low levels.
Is There a “Safe Level” of BPA?
Given the numerous health concerns that have been linked to BPA, and its widespread presence in the United States (more than 90 percent of the U.S. population has detectable levels of BPA in their blood), many are asking, what is a safe level?
According to Consumer Reports, animal studies have shown abnormal reproductive development and other adverse effects at exposures of 2.4 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day. Consumer Reports writes:
“[Based on these findings,] our food-safety scientists recommend limiting daily exposure to one-thousandth of that level, or 0.0024 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, following established practices to ensure an adequate margin of safety.”
National Geographic obviously appalled by FDA due to dismissing BPA - Bisphenol A Dangers (Studies, report micro levels, warns “30 parts per trillion”)
As it stands, the FDA’s special scientific advisory panel reported in 2008 that current FDA safety standards for BPA are inadequate and a congressional subcommittee determined in 2009 that the FDA has relied too heavily on studies sponsored by the American Plastics Council (BPA is a building block of plastics).
Duke University Research: BPA – Bisphenol-A Study on Mice (More Proof)
"The FDA's reliance on industry studies in determining BPA's safety must be re-evaluated in light of clear signs industry is willing to mislead the American people on this public-health issue," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, on ConsumerReports.org.
How to Reduce Your Reliance on Canned Foods
If you choose to limit canned foods in your diet because of the potential of toxic BPA, there are many other options. The top tips include:
-
Choose glass instead of cans. Many popular canned foods, such as soup, beans, soda and more, are available in glass jars or bottles.
-
Choose frozen veggies instead of canned varieties. They're just as convenient, without the plastic tin-can linings.
A Simple Tip to Drastically Reduce Your BPA Exposure
WARNINGS!
Plastic containing BPA may be called:
-
Polycarbonate
-
Lexan
-
Polysulfone
Plastic that contains BPA carries the #7 recycling symbol, as well, so you can cut down on your exposure by avoiding plastic that is made from these materials or contains the #7 recycling symbol.
If you currently rely on bottled water to get you through the day, you can replace expensive and unhealthy bottled water with a safer, and many times less expensive solution by getting high-quality filtered water right in your own kitchen!
Even More Essential Tips to Minimize Your BPA Exposure …
-
Bottle your own water (in glass or BPA-free plastic)
-
Buy your own personal reusable water bottle made of HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastic, which is BPA-free!
-
Purchase glass baby bottles instead of plastic.
-
Buy milk and juice in glass containers (NOT plastic).
-
Use baby bottles and sippy cups made of polyethylene plastic (#1, #2, #4 recycling symbols) or polypropylene (#5) (these are usually colored, not clear)
-
Replace plastic food and drink containers and utensils with glass, ceramic or metal varieties.
-
Avoid using canned foods (as they mostly have plastic linings) or foods wrapped in plastic.
-
Avoid soda cans (as they mostly have plastic lining). If you drink soda, choose the glass bottles instead.
-
Avoid letting children put plastic toys in their mouths, or give them natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones.
-
Be careful with BPA-containing plastics, if you choose to use them. This means not exposing them to heat (microwave, dishwasher) or harsh detergents (bleach, etc.), throwing them away if they're scratched or worn, and not letting food or beverages sit in the containers for too long -- all of which increases the amount of BPA that may leach into your food.
-
Dental sealants may leach BPA. Although this is being debated, you may want to avoid dental sealants on your children's baby teeth, or ask your dentist if the sealant is BPA-free.
Can You Remove BPA From Your Body?
At present there is no natural product or drug that has been shown to effectively eliminate bisphenol-A and phthalates from the body.
This may afford protection by increasing the amount of vital nutrients, including antioxidants and friendly bacteria, that your body would normally derive from foods.
By having adequate enzymes and nutrients readily available, your organs and bodily systems (especially the pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestines) will be less stressed, allowing for more adequate detoxification to occur.
The human body continually attempts to detoxify itself; however, due to overtaxed systems from malnourishment resulting from poor nutrient absorption (lack of essential enzymes and intake of valuable nutrients), poor quality air, water and general stress, the average American is overloaded with toxins.
Enzymes may make your system more able to detoxify itself from many types of toxins, including BPA.
"BREAKING NEWS" that Occurred Tuesday July 17, 2012:
The federal government announced Tuesday July 17 that baby bottles and sippy cups can no longer contain the controversial chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA.
This is an encouraging start. However, pending legislation introduced by members of Congress seeks to ban BPA nationwide in all canned food, water bottles and food containers. Chemical makers continue to maintain that the plastic-hardening chemical is safe for all food and drink uses.
BPA is prevalent in paper handled by most people and in hundreds of plastic items such as CDs. The researchers who state ingesting the chemical can interfere with development of the reproductive and nervous systems in babies and young children remain concerned that there remain concerns as they continue to point to dozens of studies showing the effects from BPA in rodents and other animals.
The challenge remains that the FDA has repeatedly stated that those findings cannot be applied to humans. In contrast the federal government spending $30 million currently on its own studies assessing the chemical's health effects on humans.
Also alarming were studies as published 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that found BPA may also lead to heart disease, diabetes and liver problems in adults.
BPA is one of "the world's highest production-volume chemicals, with more than 2 million metric tons produced worldwide in 2003 and increase (production ongoing) in demand of 6% to 10% annually," according to the JAMA report.
The chemical is so widely used, in fact, that almost everyone has the chemical in their body right now.
"Widespread and continuous exposure to BPA, primarily through food but also through drinking water, dental sealants, dermal exposure, and inhalation of household dusts, is evident from the presence of detectable levels of BPA in more than 90% of the US population" the researchers write in JAMA.
Thereby although the federal government’s announcement related to baby bottles is a welcomed start, it’s far from effective in covering your families overall BPA health concerns. This remains your individual vigilance if you want to assure BPA food and beverage products are not utilized.
Seek fact based wellness products vs those simply made to be profitable. It's worth the effort!
"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise."
— Oscar Wilde
Sources
What is BPA? Should I be worried about it? - Mayo Clinic
BPA Exposure May Be Much Greater Than Previously Believed
BPA and phthalates - Westchester County Department of Health
Think all BPA-free products are safe? Not so fast, scientists warn
BPA replacement, BPS, hinders heart function, study reveals ...
Consumer Reports Magazine
Environmental Working Group
Journal of the American Medical Association; 300(11):1303-1310
Today.msnbc.msn.com July 18, 2012
