Study: Some canned goods used in Thanksgiving food contain deadly chemical
Every year at this time, dutiful Americans prepping their Thanksgiving feasts hear plenty of advice about the safest way to cook the meal. They hear about the best way to thaw a turkey, the best way to cook a turkey and the importance of dressing your turkey and chopping your veggies on different cutting boards.
But there's one thing they'll likely hear little about: a potentially dangerous chemical lurking in some of the canned goods you'll use in your holiday dinner.
Last week, the Breast Cancer Fund, a San Francisco-based organization that educates the public about the link between breast cancer and the environment, released a study documenting the presence of the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in such Thanksgiving essentials as Libby's canned pumpkin and Green Giant cut green beans.
The chemical is an endocrine disruptor, meaning it can act like estrogen in the body. Some have long feared a link between BPA and a variety of health problems, including breast cancer, though others in the medical community say the connection is still uncertain.
BPA is used in many products, including some plastic water bottles, baby bottles and the linings of metal food cans.
Connie Engel, science educator for the Breast Cancer Fund, said the fund conducted the study on canned goods to help raise awareness of the chemical and its prevalence. "We had a sense that a lot of people were aware of BPA in water bottles and baby bottles, but a lot of people didn't seem to know that BPA was in food products," she said. The concern, Engel said, is that the chemical often leaches from the lining into the food contained in the can.
The study looked at seven products: Green Giant green beans, Libby's pumpkin, Del Monte creamed corn, Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, Campbell's turkey rravy, Carnation evaporated milk and Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce. Four cans of each product were tested in a San Francisco laboratory, and the only product in which no BPA was found was the cranberry sauce. Among the other foods, the levels fluctuated wildly -- even across the same brand and product. For instance, BPA levels in the Del Monte corn varied from undetectable to 221 parts per billion. These variations are disconcerting, Engel said. This is not the first time the Breast Cancer Fund has looked at BPA levels in canned goods. In September, the organization measured a variety of kid-friendly products for the chemical, including Campbell's Spaghetti-O's and Meatballs. Engel said the fund has started a "Cans Not Cancer" campaign, which asks the public to send letters to food manufacturers urging them to get BPA out of canned foods and replace it with a safer alternative.
Locally, Connecticut has taken a strong stand against the chemical. The state Legislature passed a law in 2009 banning BPA from baby bottles, infant formula cans and reusable food containers.
However, some medical professionals think the assumption of a link between BPA and adverse health effects is premature.
Robert Folman, Bridgeport Hospital chief of oncology, said BPA exposure is probably best avoided, particularly by young children. But, as its exact risk isn't known, he cautioned people against going overboard.
"It's certainly a valid concern, but I wouldn't have people worried that they're going to get cancer from Thanksgiving dinner because of the mushroom soup," said Folman, also co-medical director of Bridgeport Hospital's Norma F. Pfriem Cancer Institute.
Some were less mixed in their feelings. David Brady, vice provost of the University of Bridgeport's division of health science and director of its Human Nutrition Institute, said he was aware of the concerns of BPA, and sees them as one more reason to eschew canned vegetables and other products for fresh or homemade foods.
He stands by a favorite saying of a former nutrition professor of his: "The less doctored the foods you eat are, the less doctoring you'll need."
Reach Amanda Cuda at firstname.lastname@example.org or 203-330-6290. Follow at twitter.com/AmandaCuda.