So, if you’re not familiar with BPA (bisphenol-A) by now, I’ll give you the condensed version…it’s a chemical. It’s found in lots of things like can linings, baby bottles, pacifiers, food containers, receipts, dental sealants and more and it does lots of bad things to your body—BPA has been linked to breast and prostate cancer as well as obesity, early puberty, cardiac disease and lowered sperm counts, even at the low levels. Research indicates it’s best to be avoided, as evidenced by most of the civilized world banning it from baby bottles.
Canada took it a step further and declared it a toxic substance. Yay Canada! Here in America, however, we have a huge chemical lobby that has convinced our government representatives (yes, the ones who are supposed to be representing citizens, not chemical companies) to not ban BPA from baby bottles or anything else.
So, what are we supposed to do?
Well, we can buy things that are BPA-free. In some cases, however, it’s not that simple as there aren’t many BPA-free options. This is the case with canned foods. BPA is found in the linings of all canned goods, with just a few exceptions.
A recent peer-reviewed study indicated can linings and food packaging are a major source of BPA exposure and that by eating fresh uncanned foods, choosing glass and stainless steel food and beverage containers, and not microwaving in plastic we can decrease our exposure to BPA by as much as SIXTY PERCENT—just by making better choices.
If you want to do something about BPA, you can ask foodmakers if they’ll phase out BPA by going here. It’s super easy and will only take a minute. In America, we often have to vote with our dollars—if foodmakers see how many consumers actually care about BPA, they’ll be more likely to stop using it.
Download a wallet card of this graphic here
More information about BPA:
Environmental Working Group – More Scientists Weigh in on BPA Dangers
Breast Cancer Fund – How to reduce BPA Levels by 60% in Three Day
Earth’s Best and Gerber have bpa in the lids of their baby jars. Make sure you check with the company that makes your baby food if you want to avoid bpa.
It is true that so many products do contain BPA. Completely agree that the more consumers know about BPA, they’ll be more likely to stop using it. I think the challenge is to shed light on the products that are BPA free. We are always looking for such finds at Daily Grommet. Thanks for the post and keeping this conversation going — it’s an important one!
Meyenberg goat milk is committed to not using BPA in any of their canned products. Trader Joe’s has eliminated it in products like beans and certain soups. However, anything with tomato products at Trader Joe’s (and most other places), like tomato sauce and vegetable soup, will still contain BPA, as they claim to be having trouble finding alternatives that will keep the acidity in tomatoes from eating away at the cans. It’s best to buy tomato products in jars.
Speaking of jars, most food jars do contain BPA in the little “sticky” ring in the lid. This is currently true even for mason jars (or was last I heard). It’s best, when buying jarred food or when canning your own food, not to fill it up to the top and to avoid sloshing the food around. The trace amount of BPA in these lids probably won’t have nearly as much of a health impact as can linings, but it’s best to be careful!
What I want to know is what to do for my BPA-exposed babies now that the dangers of BPA have been revealed?
I know not to use BPA containing bottles and plastics with my youngest, but I was using BPA plastics with my 5 year old twins without realizing that I was unintentionally poisoning them. So what do I do now? Does anyone know of any sites or doctors or anything that can help me prevent the negative effects of this chemical, or is it just a done deal?