BPA Du Jour: Potentially Toxic Chemicals Found in Canned Soup

Oprah.com
Photo: Thinkstock
Photo: Thinkstock

By Corrie Pikul

You've probably heard of bisphenol-A, or BPA -- it's the industrial chemical found in clear, sturdy plastics and PVC, and it's been linked to higher risks of cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. It's the reason you switched from a plastic water bottle to a BPA-free stainless steel one, and why you stopped microwaving your leftovers in plastic take-out containers. And though most of the focus has been on plastic bottles, BPA also exists in the lining of canned foods.

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A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association may change the way we look at those canned goods. The study found that those who ate just one serving of canned soup for five days showed increases in their BPA levels by over a thousand percent. The Harvard researchers told the New York Times they were stunned by the results.

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So are we, especially because we've been really enjoying chicken soup season so far. But don't despair: while it's hard to find BPA-free cans (manufacturers like it because this type of lining prevents corrosion and is resistant to extreme heat), you have options:

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  • Make your own soup using one of these classic recipes: Chicken noodle, chicken and rice, broccoli leek, classic clam chowder. Store in containers made from glass, porcelain and stainless steel, and bring lunch portions to work in a Mason jar.

  • Look for soups that are packaged in Tetra Pak paper boxes with a BPA-free liner.

  • Switch to frozen (or fresh) vegetables.

  • Cut back on your canned soup habit (you'll avoid sodium as well as BPA).

  • Develop a taste for miso soup that comes in paper envelopes.


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