Q. How can you tell if a can has BPA in its lining? I have been eating canned salmon after reading that it is wild caught and preferable to farm raised salmon. Now I wonder if I am getting too much BPA.
A. BPA (bisphenol A) is tasteless and odorless. It is a component of the plastic resin that lines many metal food and beverage cans. It is also found in hard clear plastic such as that in polycarbonate water bottles.
There has been much controversy about the health hazards of BPA because it acts like estrogen and might disrupt hormones. In December, Consumer Reports published research showing that many canned foods contain surprisingly high levels of BPA. Most labels don’t disclose this.
According to the article, “The StarKist Chunk Light canned tuna we tested averaged 3 ppb [parts per billion] of BPA, but BPA levels in the same brand in a plastic pouch weren’t measurable.” You might want to look for salmon in a pouch, or look for one of these products: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/7-bpa-free-canned-foods.php
