Can from Wisconsin home is believed to set record for highest level of BPA found in U.S.

When, a coalition of public health and environmental organizations recently had 50 cans of food or beverages analyzed, they discovered what they believe to be the highest levels of Bisphenol A ever found in the United States.

And the sample responsible for setting this record came from a home pantry in Wisconsin.

The can of DelMonte French Style Green Beans contained 1,140 parts per billion of BPA, a chemical often used in plastic baby bottles, water bottles, dental fillings, printer inks, receipt paper and as a lining inside cans to prevent rusting.

The DelMonte can was more than 1,000 parts per billion higher than the average in the study by the National Workgroup for Safe Markets.

Forty-five other cans, or 92 percent of the sample, also tested positive for the chemical thought by some scientists to cause diabetes, neurological disorders, cancer, obesity and thyroid disorders in humans.

“It is generally understood that nearly the entire canning industry uses BPA in the lining of cans, so the findings were not surprising,” said Bobbi Chase Wilding, lead author the report.

Some organizations don’t agree that the BPA used widely is harmful. The North American Metal Packaging Alliance said the study does consumers a “grave disservice.” According to the chairman of the alliance, BPA-based coatings for metal packaging such as cans actually keep consumers safe.

“BPA-based epoxy coatings in metal packaging provide real, important, and measurable health benefits by reducing the potential for the serious and often deadly effects from food-borne illnesses,” said John Rost, chairman. “Without a thoroughly tested substitute, the report’s recommendation to forgo canned goods sacrifices a technology that has prevented food-borne illnesses for more than 30 years.”

The Grocery Manufacturers of America have also spoken out in support of the use of BPA.

The Wisconsin owner of the highly contaminated can did not respond to a request for an interview. But Wilding said that the results from that can of green beans were significant.

“His was certainly an outlier; it was very unusual,” she said. “Its like Russian roulette, whether or not you are going to pick up a can with such high levels.”

The other cans used in the study were from 19 states and Ontario. In addition to Wisconsin, cans were also taken from other Great Lakes states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and New York. However, none of the other samples ranked as high as the can of green beans in Wisconsin.

Other notably high samples included a can of Great Value green peas from a Walmart in Kentucky and Health Choice Chicken Noodle Soup from a home pantry in Montana.

The average level of BPA for the samples was 77.36 parts per billion.

The EPA has set the safe dose of BPA at 50 parts per billion per day.

In Canada, BPA is banned at all levels from baby bottles. In 2009, Chicago banned the chemical from being used in bottles and children’s cups.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not limited the use of BPA.

However on Tuesday, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that the “Tolerable Daily Intake” of BPA set in 2006 at .05 milligram per kilogram of body weight should be kept at that level. The authority decided that there was not enough scientific evidence to reexamine the level.

Two cans from each state were collected, one from a home pantry and another from a grocery store. The study selected a variety of products believed by the researchers to be used frequently in the North American diet. Canned meats, vegetables, fruit, soft drinks, milk and soups were all tested.

Organic products were included and some tested positive. Products such as 365 Organic Lite Coconut Milk from Whole Foods showed levels of BPA.

Products were selected from a variety of retailers including many common in the Great Lakes region, such as Kroger, Hannaford, Safeway and Shoprite.

“We put together a list of common things that would be used throughout the United States and Canada,” said Mia Davis, co-author of the report. “We chose things that were common components of meals or common lunch foods.”

To put the levels in perspective, the study’s researchers examined how eating the canned goods that would affect a pregnant woman in her 20s. Fetuses are particularly vulnerable to BPA.

“We wanted to calculate what levels of BPA might end up in a pregnant woman, because even tiny doses of it, if they come at the wrong time, can change how the body develops,” said Wilding. “BPA is most powerful when a fetus is developing.”

The National Workgroup for Safe Markets found that a pregnant woman consuming even small amounts of canned food and beverage could be exposed to levels of BPA proven to show adverse health effects in animals. For example, a pregnant woman eating a can of green beans and drinking a Diet Coke throughout the day, could consume the same amount of BPA that has shown increased aggression and prostate changes in animals tested in the lab, according to the report. Similar levels were also linked to cancer and reproductive damages in the animals.

Wilding, who lives in New York, was pregnant with her second child at the time of the study.  She said she was particularly careful not to eat canned foods during her pregnancy. However, she realizes that there are many ways to be exposed to the chemical, and she worries about how it may have or may eventually affect her children.

“I don’t know whether or not my very innocent choice could have an affect on her life,” Wilding said.

According to the report, there are a variety of alternatives to BPA, including polyester linings, natural oils or resins made from plants.

“In our report, we have a chart of preferred linings, and there are polyester linings that can reduce the leaching of BPA by 95 percent,” said Wilding. “We don’t want cans to rust, but we want to make sure they are not putting toxic chemicals in our food.”