Nov

5

Consumer Reports Tests Find BPA in Canned Soups, Juice, and More

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Food Safety | 3 Comments

Here we go … BPA in the news again.  I have been wanting to post something about this since I saw it on the evening news the other night.  Consumer Reports just published new findings (but none of it is really news to us) about levels of BPA in canned food.  We knew it was there but how much?  As we know, BPA is not only found in hard plastic but as a component of the epoxy lining in canned food, soda cans, juice cans, baby formula and glass jar lids to name a few.   From the new study:

Canned Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans Blue Lake had the highest amount of BPA for a single sample in Consumer Reports tests, with levels ranging from 35.9 parts per billion (ppb) to 191 ppb. Progresso Vegetable Soup BPA levels ranged from 67 to 134 ppb. Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup had BPA levels ranging from 54.5 to 102 ppb.

Average amounts in tested products varied widely. In most items tested, such as canned corn, chili, tomato sauce, and corned beef, BPA levels ranged from trace amounts to about 32 ppb.

Given the significance of BPA exposure for infants and young children, Consumer Reports tested samples of Similac Advance Infant Formula and Nestle Juicy Juice All Natural 100% Apple Juice. The findings revealed:

Similac liquid concentrate in a can averaged 9 ppb of BPA, but there was no measurable level in the powdered version.

Nestle Juicy Juice in a can averaged 9.7 ppb of BPA, but there were no measurable levels in the samples of the same product packaged in juice boxes.

I was surprised to hear that Similac’s powdered formula came back with no measurable levels of BPA, though it’s unclear to me at this point what type of packaging the powdered version was in.  Similac has a new plastic container made of polypropylene but there is a questionable foil seal on the inside that Similac would not comment on whether it had BPA or not (I’m guessing yes or else they would probably have said so).

What’s most alarming is that products boasting BPA Free on the label tested with measurable amounts of BPA.  Alarming, but not so surprising. Even items in alternative packaging came back with BPA levels.  Even Eden’s baked beans, which we though were BPA Free came back with a very low level of BPA.

We tested two products that their manufacturers claimed were packaged in BPA-free cans and found the chemical in both of the foods. Although tests of the inside of the cans found that the liners were not epoxy-based, Vital Choice’s tuna in “BPA-free” cans was found to contain an average of 20 ppb of BPA and Eden Baked Beans averaged 1 ppb.

It’s unclear at this point what levels are safe and what aren’t (though my preference would be for NO safe levels):

“The findings are noteworthy because they indicate the extent of potential exposure,” said Dr. Urvashi Rangan, Director of Technical Policy, at Consumers Union, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. “Children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones we found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA near levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies. The lack of any safety margin between the levels that cause harm in animals and those that people could potentially ingest from canned foods has been inadequately addressed by the FDA to date.”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is soon expected to announce the findings of its most recent reassessment of the safety of BPA.

Read all about it: Consumer Reports Study (use the links on the left side to read the details of the study and the results.

Jun

25

Bisphenol-A: How Much Evidence Do We Need?

Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A, Chemicals | Comments Off

soda-canI was going to let this slide but I’ve heard the same few phrases a few times and now I’m thoroughly annoyed.  These phrases include things like “activist hysteria” and “BPA has been around for 60 years, don’t you think the FDA would have taken notice if it was harmful?” and “activists in the blogosphere are creating unnecessary concern” and my favorite “There is no evidence that BPA in consumer products ever harmed a child or adult.”

Oh, really? That’s twice today I’ve read articles stating that there is no scientific evidence that BPA can harm anyone and that “activists” are just creating unnecessary hype.  Let’s review some of this non-existent scientific evidence shall we?

And the list goes on and on…  If that’s not enough scientific evidence that Bisphenol-A needs to be re-evaluated for safety than I don’t know what people like Ms. Whelan from Forbes Magazine or Dr Gilbert Ross of the American Council on Science and Health who seems to think there “isn’t a shred of scientific or medical sense in the proposed ban of bisphenol-A“  needs to hear in order to consider that perhaps just because something has been in use for 60 years doesn’t mean that there aren’t underlying effects that people are experiencing in their normal lives that may have been caused or enhanced by over-exposure to chemicals in our daily lives. Could they be right?  Maybe!  And I hope they are… I wish I could be that confident that chemical makers and the FDA had my best interest at heart.  I wish I could just blindly trust the way they do.  I’d probably sleep better at night if I could just leave my health and safety up to other people rather than opening my eyes to what’s going on around me.

It’s hard to tell why John Smith developed Diabetes at the age of 60.  Could it be BPA? Maybe, maybe not.  But as a consumer and a parent and a human being… I don’t want risks from chemicals to up my chances of developing health problems later in life.  Nor do I want to expose my kids to something that *might* create reproductive problems for them in the future. MAYBE is not good enough for me.

Those of us who write about and talk about pushing for this change are not trying to be alarmist, or to just have something to be hysterical about.  We’ve read the studies, we’ve looked at the research and we’ve wondered “what if”.  We also have recognized that living without overexposure to BPA in our lives is 100% possible.  Does that mean less money for companies who rely on BPA? Sure.  Do I care? No.

Living with blind faith that “regulators” are protecting me and everything I touch is safe for my health and my family is just not something I will ever do.

Jun

9

Coke and Del Monte Plot to Deceive Consumers about BPA

Filed Under Bisphenol-A | Comments Off

soda-canI wrote last week about the meetings manufacturers had regarding the public view of BPA.  Since then the meeting notes we’re leaked to the Internet and many of us were fuming that companies like Coca Cola and Del Monte were discussing using scare tactics and a pregnant woman role model to change our perception of BPA (which is found in the lining of most canned goods and soda).

As consumers, we’re entitled to know truths about what our food is exposed to and since BPA has come into the spotlight we’ve seen study after study showing potentially harmful effects of exposure.  I won’t list it all out here again but we’re not naive to BPA anymore and finding out that companies would rather spend money on deceiving us than to take advantage of an opportunity to use an alternative (which is already in effect in Japan so don’t give me that “there is no other option” baloney) is a real testament to how big companies view its consumers: As a bunch of people who are too stupid to know better.  Well … we’re not. And we want to tell you so.

The Environmental Working Group has launched a new effort to help those who want to express their disgust to companies entertaining the idea of deceiving consumers about BPA.  Visit the EWG for phone numbers to Coke and Del Monte so you can tell them yourself.

Coca-Cola: 1-800-GET-COKE, then press 2
Del Monte: 1-800-543-3090

You can express your disgust about their unethical ideas to deceive consumers any way you like really, but the EWG has a sample script in case you’re not sure how to approach it.

“”Hello, My name is ______________. I’m shocked and disappointed in your unethical approach to business when it comes to BPA – placing profits ahead of my family’s health and using fear tactics to placate consumers about a clearly dangerous chemical. The BPA needs to go – NOW. Thank you.”

Visit the EWG website and tell them about your calls… they want to know how Coca Cola and Del Monte are reacting to consumer feedback regarding this matter.

If you’re not planning on participating, remember the impact we had on BPA in baby products.  Everywhere you go baby items say BPA Free now and it wasn’t like that just a year ago.  We as consumers and parents have made a difference.. with every phone call, letter or blog entry.  We are more powerful than you think.

May

31

Manufacturers Who Use BPA are Getting Scared

Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | 4 Comments

soda-canThere’s been a bevy of articles floating around this week about meetings being held by manufacturers of cans and soda products.  They’re concerned because of the public concerns regarding Bisphenol-A (BPA).  Including the makers of Coca-Cola and Campbell.  If you aren’t already aware, soda cans as well as the majority of canned food is lined with BPA – a hormone disrupting chemical that has a bevy of independent university studies showing harmful effects.

The movement by young mothers (their bread and butter buyers) to avoid BPA is causing them some grief, and well deserved.  We all educated ourselves on the effects and are choosing to buy safer alternatives.  Because we’re smart people.   Manufacturers are going over options to change our view of BPA and to back up it’s safety.  They are considering doing one or more of the following tactics to change our view of BPA:

  • Use scare tactics: They’ll use slogans like “Do you want access to baby food anymore?” as if we won’t be able to feed our children without exposing them to BPA.
  • Giving consumers a false sense of control: They will highlight cost effects of choosing BPA Free products.
  • Using a spokesperson:  Their “holy grail” spokesperson would be a pregnant woman they said.  Apparently showing us a pretty pregnant woman enjoying BPA exposed food with a smile will make us all forget the studies done by respected universities showing BPA exposure is linked to metabolic disorders, brain function, heart disease, genital abnormalities, mood disorders, diabetes….. etc etc etc.  Their plan would be to have her go around the country speaking about the benefits of BPA.  (Which are?)

So essentially, they want to scare you into buying products containing BPA because they don’t want to lose money.  They don’t want to bother investigating safer alternatives.  They just want things to go back to the way they were… when we all had no idea BPA existed.  Too bad we’re not so naive to be convinced by fear and a pregnant woman.  This “young mother” isn’t going to fall for it.

Here’s the full article about the meetings held by manufacturers in the Washington Post:

Kathleen M. Roberts, a lobbyist with Bergeson and Campbell for the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, which represents makers of metal cans and their customers, organized Thursday’s meeting and confirmed the accuracy of the notes. She said her members are concerned about bills pending in state legislatures as well as on Capitol Hill that would restrict or eliminate the use of BPA in metal cans. She said BPA is a safe compound that has been tarred by activist groups and that consumers do not fully appreciate its importance.

Oh we appreciate… we appreciate the importance of protecting the health of our families from the dangers of overused chemicals.  We also appreciate that it’s not just activists tarring our view of BPA, it’s the respected studies by top universities and organizations that are opening our eyes to what’s around us.

Source: Washington Post

From Our Fellow Moms

Seems this news has angered more than just us here at SafeMama and our colleagues have some really excellent points:

Sommer from Green and Clean Mom:  Talk to the Hand

“What they heck do these mom bloggers know anyhow? On one hand a company wants to use them for PR and marketing and their qualified and valued and on the other hand they’re just hysterical and not trusted.”

Jennifer Taggart of The Smart Mama: Ready to piss off a mom blogger? Seek a pregnant woman to consume BPA lined canned goods

How stupid do these industry representatives think we are? They think that if they pick the right “messaging” (which the industry will discover through at $500,000 survey of consumer perceptions and messaging), we will ignore the growing body of evidence of adverse health effects associated with BPA exposure? That we can’t separate the fact from the fiction?

Jenn Savedge at Mother Nature Network : Movement afoot to silence BPA concerns

“Instead of researching the alternatives (Japan has significantly reduced its use of BPA in many canned goods,) BPA advocates are hanging on to this sinking ship and spending their time and money to devise a strategy and public relations campaign that would silence these concerns about BPA. According to the article in the Washington Post, industry executives are weighing ideas that use financial fears and dated health information to dissuade people from choosing BPA-free packaging.”

Alicia of The Soft Landing: Bisphenol-a Manufacturers Switch to Fear Inducing Strategy

“Who are the fear mongers now? We were the ones “propagating unnecessary fear” just a few short years ago – that is until science bolstered our basis of concern.  Now the chemical industry is backed into a corner by the very people who supply the largest portion of their bank accounts – young mothers ages 21-35.”

Before we raised issue with BPA in baby products no one ever heard of BPA.  Now you can’t swing a dead cat in Babies R Us without sitting a product labelled BPA FREE.  We changed that, we can change this too.

Here’s more:

Apr

28

BornFree Introduces BPA-Free Recyclable Bottles

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, product finds | Comments Off

bornfreerecycBornFree™ was one of the first companies to start producing baby bottles made of BPA Free plastic back when some of us hadn’t even heard of Bisphenol-A.  They are constantly taking the next positive step in baby care items and in the past year have expanded to things like stainless water bottles and pacifiers.

BornFree™ just released another new line of bottles that are totally recyclable, the Eco-Friendly BornFree™ Baby Bottle.  The Eco-Friendly BornFree™ Baby Bottle is made of Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) which is a BPA, PVC and Phthalate free plastic and each bottle is made new, but can be returned to the company to be recycled into other household products like toys, furniture and household utensils.

BornFree™ Eco-Friendly baby bottles are durable and shatterproof so they’ll last the length of time  you should only replace them / send them in for recycling when you have no more use for them.  To return your BornFree™ Bottle for recycling, just contact them at 1-877-WWW-BORN. BornFree™ will pay for the postage too!

Where to Get Them: If you’re in the market for BPA Free plastic bottles you can pick up the new Eco-Friendly BornFree™ Baby Bottles on BornFree’s website – available in 9 oz. twin packs and 4 oz. twin packs.  They aren’t in stores just yet but I imagine they will be eventually!

Mar

16

BPA In Soft Drink Cans

Filed Under Bisphenol-A | Comments Off

This is something we’ve known about and mentioned a while back, but when it comes to BPA, sometimes, it just bears repeating. Yes, there is BPA in those soft drink cans you may have been chugging.   Energy drinks, sodas, those cans of Ensure you might be downing in place of a meal, all cans are coated with the resin that contains BPA in order to reduce aluminum exposure and also to help preserve the beverage.   Even if you find a BPA free can, there’s still aluminium to contend with, so what’s worse?

Well for one, diet colas have phosphoric acid, along with aspartame, neither of which are good for you anyway (I sound like your mother, don’t I?).    Regular colas have high fructose corn syrup.  Once in a while, these aren’t horrible for you.  It won’t kill you, but if you’re a habitual soda drinker,  it may be time to think about switching over to bottles, which are in a safer plastic (look for recycling #’s 1,2,4 or 5, and avoid plastics with the recycling code #3, 6 or 7).

There’s also several varieties of natural and/or organic sodas in glass bottles, available at places like Whole Foods and health food stores.   I know this sounds really lame, especially for those that are die hard Coke or Pepsi fans.    Sometimes, we don’t always like what we hear.   And I will say, that once you’ve switched over to more natural sodas, the conventional ones taste awful.

Jan

29

News: BPA stays in body longer than once thought

Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Comments Off

As if there weren’t enough issues regarding BPA, a new study has shown that BPA lingers longer in the body than they once thought:

“What this study shows is that either we are getting exposed to a lot more BPA than we thought, or it’s hanging around longer than we thought, or both,” said lead researcher Dr. Richard W. Stahlhut, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Environmental Health Sciences Center, in New York.

So as far was we can tell, they’re still unsure as to what’s causing BPA to linger in the body.  My guess is both.   BPA is in nearly everything:

Stahlhut noted that BPA is used to harden plastics in many products, including plastic bottles, PVC water pipes and food-storage containers. It’s also used to coat the inside of metal food cans and in dental sealants. It’s even found in cash register receipts and recycled paper, he said.

While it sounds nearly impossible to avoid BPA entirely (believe me, I’ve tried), there are lots of things you can do to limit your exposure to BPA:

  • Kathy wrote a great post about limiting exposure to BPA in food products, you can read it here.
  • When possible, use glass drinkware, or stainless steel, if you’re out and about.
  • If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times, never put any plastic in the microwave.   Even “safe” plastics can have leaching capabilities as the plastic starts to break down.
  • Use BPA free bottles, cups and dishware for babies and toddlers.  I realize that using glass or ceramic for children isn’t an option, so we have a list of safer dishware choices, as well as safer bottle, breast milk storage and pump choices, as well.
  • Avoid plastics with the recycling codes 3, 6&7.
  • Avoid or limit your exposure to PVC.   This can be a little tricky, because sometimes, it’s just not labeled, but when I’m buying something that could potentially contain PVC, I try to smell it before buying.   If it smells noxious, it’s probably not something you want in your home.

What are the ways you’ve tried to limit your exposure to BPA?  Send us your tips and we’ll post them here.

Dec

17

FDA to continue to study BPA

Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Comments Off

After a year of nothing but controversy for the FDA regarding it’s (in)decision about BPA, they’ve stated that while they won’t change their decision about its safety, they will continue to “study” the chemical over the next several years:

The FDA has maintained that BPA is safe, relying largely on two studies that were funded by the chemical industry.

In October, the FDA was faulted by its own panel of independent science advisers, who said the agency’s position on BPA was scientifically flawed. The panel said the agency should revisit its assessment and take into account the studies it had ignored.

Yesterday, Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety, said the FDA will respond to that recommendation by performing additional analysis. She said she did not know if it would last months or years.

“I can’t tell you when we will finalize this,” she said. “There is a lot of work.”  [full article]

Is it me, or does it smell a bit like the FDA is stalling?   I don’t think we’ve made it a secret that we distrust the FDA and its inability to look out for the safety of the public.  From BPA to melamine in formula, I think I know where the American public stands.   It’s behind the coporation giving the biggest donation in order to skew the results their way.

The FDA might maintain the safety of BPA, but plenty of independent studies show otherwise, and we will continue to promote alternatives and spread the word about the dangers of BPA.   Thankfully, a lot of companies are following suit and giving the customers what they want, and that’s safer products to feed our children with.

Oct

29

FDA Ignored Evidence of Harm Regarding BPA Ruling

Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Comments Off

From the Washington Post today:

In a highly critical report to be released today, the panel of scientists from government and academia said the FDA did not take into consideration scores of studies that have linked bisphenol A (BPA) to prostate cancer, diabetes and other health problems in animals when it completed a draft risk assessment of the chemical last month. The panel said the FDA didn’t use enough infant formula samples and didn’t adequately account for variations among the samples.

Taking those studies into consideration, the panel concluded, the FDA’s margin of safety is “inadequate”. The panel is part of the Science Board, a committee of advisers to the FDA commissioner, and was set up to review the FDA’s risk assessment of BPA.

I can’t even begin to express my utter frustration with the current state of Bisphenol-a in food packaging and baby products and this just solidifies the fact that this chemical has no business being near our food and that the FDA didn’t take real scientific evidence into consideration when they carelessly said it was safe.

Canada just recently declared BPA a dangerous toxin and has banned its use in childrens products.

Read the article on WashingtonPost.com

Oct

12

University Study Says Bisphenol-A May Disrupt Cancer Treatments

Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Comments Off

I saw this study around but our friends at The Soft Landing blogged it yesterday so I wanted to point it out.  In yet another study, this one from the University of Cincinnati says that like estrogen, Bisphenol-a may actually protect cancer cells, making cancer treatments less effective.

The new University of Cincinnati study says that Bisphenol-A may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments. Bisphenol-A seems to bolster proteins that protect cancer cells, according to the research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Scary and yet another straw on the camels back.  Evidence is accumulating and soon the FDA will have no choice but to consider it in their evaluation.

Found at The Soft Landing, article from The Daily Green.

Here is a bit from the University of Cincinnati:

“BPA does not increase cancer cell proliferation like DES does,” she says. “It’s actually acting by protecting existing cancer cells from dying in response to anti-cancer drugs, making chemotherapy significantly less effective.”

…

These data,” study authors write, “provide considerable support to the accumulating evidence that BPA is hazardous to human health.”

Read the article regarding the study from University of Cincinnati for more details.

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