Nov. 03--Nearly two-thirds of food samples that researchers bought at Dallas-area grocery stores contained the chemical bisphenol A, which is widely used in food packaging and has been linked to endocrine problems and other disorders, a study published Tuesday found.
Food samples contained BPA at levels far below those that U.S. and European agencies say could pose health disorders. However, the study's lead author said evidence shows that the amount regulators now consider safe might actually pose a risk and that more efforts are needed to remove harmful chemicals from the food supply.
"This finding of yet another toxic chemical in our food is of concern because it is one of many which we have reported this year and in previous years in U.S. food," said Dr. Arnold Schecter, professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas.
The study, published in the American Chemical Society's scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology, is the first peer-reviewed research into BPA levels in fresh, canned and plastic-packaged food. Results were consistent with previous informal surveys.
BPA is widely used in cans and plastic packaging for food, including containers for children's formula and food. Its use has become controversial because research shows it is an endocrine disruptor, a substance that interferes with the body's reproductive and chemical systems. BPA also has been linked to heart disease, cancer and sperm problems.
To see if the chemical was migrating from packaging into food, and if so, in what amounts, researchers bought 105 food items from 10 Dallas-area groceries in March.
The foods included canned vegetables, soups, meats and juices; canned infant formula; plastic-packed applesauce and spaghetti and meatballs; fresh turkey breast, chicken, ham and salmon; and canned and plastic-wrapped dog and cat food.
The study's point was not to identify specific foods with higher BPA levels, but to sample a range of foods to determine if BPA required broader monitoring, Schecter said.
Laboratory tests found measurable levels of BPA in 63 of the 105 samples. The highest levels were in canned Del Monte fresh-cut green beans, followed by three varieties of Progresso canned soup, the study showed.
A number of foods, including fresh ham, sliced chicken breast and salmon, and several canned goods, contained no detectable BPA.
The researchers found no significant difference between BPA levels in canned or plastic-packaged foods. Lab tests are under way to see if fresh, unwrapped produce has less BPA, Schecter said.
Researchers noted that test results do not necessarily apply to the whole nation's food supply, since the sampling was fairly small and was done in one metropolitan area. However, the tests show that packaging does add BPA to some foods, underscoring the need for further investigation, they said.
Food safety assumptions for BPA are based on estimates of how much of the chemical people are receiving from food and other sources. Since people might ingest different foods with different concentrations of BPA, more monitoring of food and water supplies and people's actual intake is needed, Schecter said.
Checking the entire nation's food supply is beyond the capacity of university researchers and requires action by the federal government, he said.
Scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, a German laboratory and the U.S. National Cancer Institute also participated in the study.
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