Chemical used in cans poses potential health risk
A chemical associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes and that is commonly used in canned food containers can enter the body, American researchers have discovered.The study focused on the effects of a diet of canned versus fresh soup and revealed that eating the tinned variety caused the concentration of the chemical in question, bisphenol A (BPA), contained in the participants' urine samples to increase by 1,221 per cent.
Jenny Carwile of the Harvard School of Public Health, who lead the study, is concerned by these results.
"We’ve known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body. This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use."
In response to these findings, the UK's Food Standards Agency said: "Our current advice is that BPA from food contact materials does not represent a risk to consumers."
Earlier this year, a European Union ban on the use of BPA in baby bottles came into force.
