Bisphenol-A, better known as BPA, fits the definition of a food additive because it can leach into food from cans, plastic food packaging, and plastic food containers that contain BPA. This massively produced industrial polycarbonate compound has been found to be toxic at low doses, some of them similar to levels found in people. Although the FDA estimates that 17 percent of the food people eat in the United States comes from cans, the agency has not established any safety standards for this use of BPA.
Based on animal testing some scientists have found that exposure to BPA in a mother’s womb increases the risk of certain cancers, hinders fertility, and may contribute to behavioral problems in childhood.
In general, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are very unlikely to contain BPA. Some, but not all, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 3 or 7 may be made with BPA.
There are seven classes of plastics used in packaging applications. Type 7 is the catch-all “other” class, and some type 7 plastics, such as polycarbonate (sometimes identified with the letters “PC” near the recycling symbol) and epoxy resins, are made from bisphenol A monomer.
Type 3 (PVC) can also contain bisphenol A as an antioxidant in plasticizers.[5] This is particularly true for “flexible PVC”, but not true for PVC pipes.
Although it may not be possible to eliminate your exposure to BPA entirely, it can be significantly reduced if you avoid canned foods (acidic foods like tomatoes are especially likely to absorb BPA), do not use plastic food containers that have the #7 recycling number marked on them (most #7 are polycarbonate), and use only reusable water bottles that are not #7 plastic (stainless steel not lined with plastic is an option).
See also
More on BPA and Prostate Cancer
National Workgroup Report – Investigation of BPA in Canned Foods [PDF]
The Real Truth Behind Bisphenol A (BPA)
More Reasons to Avoid Plastic Bottles
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