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November 4, 2009

Are contaminants lurking in your canned veggies?

A new study finds that a range of common canned goods contain measurable levels of the chemical additive BPA -- even in products whose labels assured they were "organic" or "BPA- free."

The study by Consumer Union, the nonprofit that publishes Consumer Reports, included a wide range of canned goods and showed elevated levels of BPA, known as Bisphenol A. Top among the list included such products as Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans. You can read the full list of products tested here.

Children who eat numerous servings a day of the products with the highest BPA levels could ingest levels shown to cause adverse affects in animal studies, the report said.

BPA is a used to make the linings of food and beverage bottles and cans. Manufacturers use it because it's durable, makes plastics harder and can withstand high temperatures. 

Public health advocates have been pushing to get the FDA to ban BPAs in can linings and baby bottles, pointing to studies that link the chemical to reproductive problems and cancer. Consumer Union sent a letter to the FDA noting the latest research as further support for such a ban. Meanwhile, manufacturers and industry groups say their products don't expose people to unsafe levels of the chemical.

The FDA is studying data on the issue and is expected to make a decision later this month.

Posted by Kelly Brewington at 7:12 AM | | Comments (0)
Categories: General Health
        

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About Picture of Health
Kelly Brewington came to the health beat a year ago after covering everything from education and government to race and immigration in her 11 years as a reporter. Since then, she has tackled stories on autism, heart failure and acupuncture used to treat drug addiction. She’s been fascinated by medicine since childhood, when her doctor dad and nurse mom gave her Gray’s Anatomy coloring book to play with. She also blames her early exposure to the field of medicine for her hypochondria.

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