Researchers Find BPA Exposure From Eating Canned Soup

A can of soup may contain more than peas, carrots and noodles. Harvard researchers contend it has a generous helping of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that may cause reproductive problems in humans.

BPA is a widely used chemical in the food industry, to harden plastic used in many food and beverage containers.

A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found that a group of volunteers who consumed a serving of canned soup each day for five days had a more than 1,000 percent increase in urinary BPA concentrations compared with when the same individuals consumed fresh soup daily for five days.

The study is one of the first to quantify BPA levels in humans after ingestion of canned foods. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

“Previous studies have linked elevated BPA levels with adverse health effects. The next step was to figure out how people are getting exposed to BPA,” said Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and lead author of the study. “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.”

Previous studies

Earlier studies have suggested that exposure to BPA, used in the lining of metal food and beverage cans, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity in humans.

The food industry has vigorously defended BPA, saying the exposure in humans is not dangerous. At the moment, the Food and Drug Administration agrees, but is currently conducting research of its own.

Even though regulators are still studying the issue, some businesses have already taken action of their own. Walmart and some other retailers have stopped selling infant bottles containing BPA and some water bottlers have begun using more plyable plastic bottles that are BPA-free.