Measurable levels of the chemical additive bisphenol A (BPA) were found in a variety of canned goods, including some that claimed to be BPA-free, according to an analysis released this week by the nonprofit advocacy group Consumers Union.
Studies have linked BPA to reproductive abnormalities and increased risk of diabetes and cancer. Some countries have banned the sale of baby bottles made with BPA, which is a plastic hardener and a component of epoxy resin. BPA is used in many products, including food-can linings.
Consumers Union said children who eat multiple servings of some of the food products included in the analysis could ingest amounts of BPA "near levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies," the Los Angeles Times reported.
In a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Consumers Union said the findings lend support to calls to ban BPA from use in materials that come in contact with foods and beverages.
An FDA spokesman told the Times that a review of existing evidence about BPA's health effects was nearing completion, and that the agency would "make a decision how to proceed" by the end of the month.