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Can You Avoid Plastic from Canned Food?

Q. How can you tell if a can has BPA in its lining? I have been eating canned salmon after reading that it is wild caught and preferable to farm raised salmon. Now I wonder if I am getting too much BPA.

A. BPA (bisphenol A) is tasteless and odorless. It is a component of the plastic resin that lines many metal food and beverage cans. It is also found in hard clear plastic such as that in polycarbonate water bottles.

There has been much controversy about the health hazards of BPA because it acts like estrogen and might disrupt hormones. In December, Consumer Reports published research showing that many canned foods contain surprisingly high levels of BPA. Most labels don’t disclose this.

According to the article, “The StarKist Chunk Light canned tuna we tested averaged 3 ppb [parts per billion] of BPA, but BPA levels in the same brand in a plastic pouch weren’t measurable.” You might want to look for salmon in a pouch, or look for one of these products: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/7-bpa-free-canned-foods.php

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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