Canned foods/drinks BPA and life in the 21st Century

Have you heard about BPA in canned foods? Most people are aware of BPA leaching out of plastics, and there was a big stink made about BPA in baby bottles on the news but how about canned foods & drinks? If they know that BPA is toxic why is it still out there, on the shelves, contaminating our food? Did you know that BPA is present in Food Processors, Juicers and Blenders and can be found in an ordinary receipt... There are many sources for BPA exposure! The list is long...

There are so many contaminants, chemicals, toxins in our water, food, products, clothing, furniture, even air that it's hard to keep track of them all and even harder to protect your family and loved ones these days. It's more important than ever to educate one's self and try to avoid as many toxins as possible to lower our/our family's risks (lower body burden) of being a statistic for any of the growing number of cancer, diabetes, leukemia, asthma etc. casualties of the 21st century! It is important to remember that we do have choices! We just need to know where the problems lie and what alternatives are available! Unfortunately this takes time and research on our parts - and time is something which many people can't seem to find these days. "Everything has chemicals in it", "everything is bad for you in one way or another". I contribute this kind of "attitude" and "mindset" to why things are the way that they are today... The chemical revolution happened slowly and it seems that many people just became "used to it". Why? I honestly don't know - because I have never had that mindset, perhaps it's easier to say those things than to research or study the topic. Perhaps it's scary to think about how many chemicals we are exposed to and the fact that we are responsible for allowing it into our home and lives. Ignorance is not bliss, it has created the society we live in! If we didn't allow it from the beginning, if we had asked more questions, demanded more testing and research, if we had pushed for tougher laws, rules and regulations would we really be where we are right now? We can't go back and change how things have "evolved" (I use this term lightly) but we CAN change how things move forward, we can change/adjust our own life/lifestyle and send a message! Instead of the "nonchalant passive attitude" why not start questioning things and avoiding toxins as a whole. Lowering our family's body burden by eliminating as many points of exposure as we can and lowering our risks to certain diseases just seems like the logical thing to do, doesn't it ?! Then why isn't everyone doing it?

What I along with many Doctors, Scientists, Health Advocates can't seem to understand is the mind set that Health Departments and various organizations seem to have regarding the "safe levels" of exposure to certain chemicals. While they may be right about certain "single/individual chemicals" in low/single doses and that they "seem" to pose no threat they fail to mention the accumulative effects as well as the fact that many chemicals are not studied properly or for prolonged periods of time. In fact most chemicals on the market today aren't studied at all. Nor are the infinite combinations of chemical exposures we all face in any given day! They also do not mention that it is not one chemical or one source that you are exposed to on a daily basis. We are exposed to chemicals in the air, the water, our pesticide laden, GMO foods, BPA is in the canned food, canned drinks, plastic containers, receipts, Formaldehyde is in clothing, toys, and furniture. Dioxin in foods and products. Lead and other heavy metals in the air, in our water and in our food supply, even our children's toys. Fire Retardants on clothing, mattresses, computers, electronics.... The list of chemical exposures goes on and on! Just think of what you have exposed yourself to by the end of a day! Now also think about how many of those could have been avoided with a little research and alternative steps and products! Because most of the toxins could have been avoided!

You just can't accurately study the infinite combinations of chemical exposure because everyone leads a different lifestyle and therefore is exposed to different chemical levels and combinations! Nor can you tell what these different combinations of chemicals do short or long term in adults/children or developing fetuses they have not been studied sufficiently! The only thing they can study is groups of people and the accumulation in their blood stream and body. Which while giving you a picture of how bad our chemical body burden has gotten over the years doesn't accurately capture our society and what we are doing to not only ourselves but also our children and future generations! Just take a look at the 2005 study spearheaded by the EWG (Environmental Working Group) in collaboration with Commonweal about the body burden of newborns - who found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood! http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php also take a look at their body burden executive summary here: http://archive.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden1/es.php

So the "safe limits" of one canned food may not mean much, if you're combining it with bath and beauty products, fluoride toothpaste, formaldehyde laden clothing, fire retardant mattresses, pesticide laden foods etc. throughout the day, throughout the month, the years... Is it any wonder that diseases like Asthma, Diabetes, Cancer, etc. are on the rise? Now I'm no Scientist nor am I a Doctor but it doesn't take a PHD to know that there are too many chemical combinations and level combinations to deem any of these chemicals safe for human exposure or consumption! Why do we need so many chemicals on the market? Why aren't there stricter rules and regulations? How are we supposed to keep ourselves healthy and proactively reduce our exposure to these toxic chemicals? Why are known and suspected carcinogens, pathogens and toxins still out there? And why aren't people more aware of them and doing something about it? Education and awareness seem to be sadly lacking in the general public these days. Those of us who do research and realize the perils have taken it upon ourselves to not only protect our family's and friends but try to spread awareness and make our voices heard to change the state of affairs in today's marketplace!

There are so many chemicals out there - when it comes to BPA you might be asking yourself - What is BPA anyway, and how is it harmful? "Bisphenol A" is an endocrine disruptor which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects, "It has been suspected as being hazardous to humans since the 1930's". Studies have linked it to obesity, neurological issues, disruption of the dopaminergic system, thyroid function, increased breast cancer risk, and has been linked to neuroblastoma, prostate cancer, sexual and reproductive problems. According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

EWG: "Independent laboratory tests found a toxic food-can lining ingredient associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems in over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods." http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola

Toxic Nation reports "Testing by Health Canada has revealed that 96% of canned drinks contain BPA. The survey covered over 84% of canned soft drinks sold in Canada, including non carbonated, carbonated, non-diet, diet, fruit flavored and energy drinks." http://toxicnation.ca/bpaqa

Toxic Nation Fact Sheet: Seeking Safer Packaging: Ranking Packaged Food Companies on Bisphenol A (BPA) http://toxicnation.ca/RankingPackagedFoodCompaniesonBisphenolA

The Globe and Mail and CTV have found high levels of the estrogen-mimicking chemical in canned food sold in Canada. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article687664.ece

BPA - "They should be concerning for every Canadian, not just because of the implications for their kids but also what it means for adult Canadians," Smith said. "It turns out that we are marinating in this chemical." CTV News http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080527/BPA_testing_080528/20080528?hub=TopStories

So what is one to do? My opinion is to research and educate yourself! Arm yourself with solid information and knowledge and try and find healthier alternatives! Do not eat canned food, boxed food or premade foods. Steer away from "fast food" and "convenience foods"! Try instead to get back to basics, "slow food", the way food was originally prepared - the way our Grand Parents and Great Grandparents cooked! Eat organic whenever possible - that's how food was meant to be - NATURAL - before the chemical revolution began, before things went horribly astray! And keep in mind that labels don't list everything! Not on foods, products or clothing! Have you seen "BPA" on the label of cans and kitchen appliances? Have you seen a shirt tag or mattress say "laced with Fire Retardant, Formaldehyde," or food labels listing "Pesticide" as an ingredient? How about bath and beauty products listing "Formaldehyde" or "Dioxin" as an ingredient or letting you know that "Parabens" have been linked to Breast Cancer? Labels also hide things under umbrellas such as "Fragrance", "Food Coloring" or "Artificial Flavors" - for example a single "Artificial Strawberry Flavor" contains 49 ingredients, most of which are difficult to read/pronounce chemical compounds! But you won't find any of these on labels! What about the items that are listed on labels - do you understand what all those chemicals/additives are, or what the consequences of consuming/absorbing such chemicals might be? You can't just assume that because it's on the shelf it's "safe", that again ties into the lackadaisical attitude I was mentioning before. We should try to be "Proactive" rather than waiting for something to happen and be "Reactive". Sometimes being "Reactive" doesn't help - such is the case for various forms of cancer! Hindsight is 20/20! But if you look ahead you CAN prevent/lower the risk of many situations that could arise! So why put yourself at greater risk when you have alternatives? the more you know the healthier you and your family will be, lower your risks of diseases and the better/safer our children and future generations will be! Education is key!!