We’ve been told to only drink from BPA-free water bottles and not to put our plastic containers in the dishwasher for fear of possible BPA contamination, but what about the non-plastic packaged foods that might have BPA lurking in them? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just unveiled a new database comprising more than 16,000 food and beverage items that may contain BPA, and many offenders are things you may have never guessed. Metal coffee cans? Here’s what you need to know.
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BPA, short for bisphenol A, acts like estrogen in the body and is known to be particularly dangerous for pregnant women and children in critical developmental stages. Some studies have linked it to infertility, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and other disorders. According to the EWG, it’s also been listed by California as a chemical known to cause reproductive problems.
So, help consumers avoid this threatening chemical, the EWG created this extensive database to provide a list of the thousands of items from 926 brands in cans, bottles and jars that contain BPA. Some of the least-suspecting culprits were aerosol cans for whipped toppings and non-stick sprays, the lids of glass jars for baby food, and aluminum beverage cans.
Click here to see if any of the products you use made the list.
“No other industry in the world is more adept at marketing products to its customers than food and beverage companies––except apparently when it comes to informing them about the possible presence of a toxic chemical linked to hormone disruption and cancer,” said EWG president Ken Cook. “So we decided to give them a little help in making their own data accessible. Our new database shines a light on just how pervasive BPA is in our food system, and will help Americans navigate the supermarket armed with more information.”
Two things to keep in mind when making your next grocery run: Look for “BPA-free” on water bottles and any other food or drink in a plastic bottle. Also, try to decrease your consumption of canned foods because many cans are lined with a resin that contains BPA (many of Campbell’s soups were on the list!).
