Japan Did It - Why Can’t The United States

Japan Did It - Why Can’t The United States

Between 1998 and 2002 in Japan the food industry reduced the amount of Bisphenol A, commonly called BPA their citizens ingested. They reduced the amount of BPA in can goods to practically zero. They were tested after drinking 6 cans of beverage and they had no increase in BPA in their system. They also changed the tableware to plastics that were BPA free in schools. This was not done because of government regulation but was done voluntarily because the consumers did not want BPA in their food or beverages.

In the United States BPA is presently used in baby bottles, can foods and in plastic items such as water bottles.  It is used in the caps for beverage bottles. Canada was the first country to ban BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. BPA is thought to contribute to obesity, diabetes, reproductive disorders, development of prostate, breast and uterine cancer, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases.

There have been hundreds  of studies to determine the safety of BPA. The studies funded by the plastic industry show that BPA is safe. The studies funded by NIH and other government programs tend to show that it is not safe.

It is getting so bad that our oceans now contain from 3 to 5 parts per million of BPA from plastic that has broken down. This is enough to interfere with the reproduction of some small animals. There still has to be research to see if the BPA is getting into the fish we eat. Ninety three percent of Americans tested had BPA in their body. In a Tuffs University ten year study they found that people who had larger amounts of BPA in their system were more likely to have a heart attack.

The FDA felt that BPA is safe in food because it is broken down in our digestive tract.  Even so, 93% of us have BPA in our body. It had to come from somewhere.  In Japan, they found a reduction in the amount of BPA in people who used cans that didn’t leach BPA. We can not depend on the FDA to keep us safe. The FDA has a history of siding with big business. But if Japan can do this so can the United States.

We need to take action. We need to let Campbell Soup, Coca Cola  and other food companies know that we don’t want BPA in our foods. We also need to let the grocery companies know that we don’t want them stocking foods in cans that contain BPA. If the food industry knows that the American public is avoiding their products with BPA in them they will change without government intervention.

Until the can industry changes we need to buy our food products in glass jars and boxes.

The other day I saw soup in a box in the grocery store. We need to buy our vegetables  fresh or frozen rather than in cans. We need to avoid  foods in plastics with the recycling  symbol with a 3, 7 or BR in the middle of the triangle. They contains BPA. When you buy a toy for a young child that they may put in their mouth you may want to check with the manufacturer  to make sure that the toy is BPA free. Working together we can make change.