Switching to Fresh Foods from Canned and Plastic-Wrapped Foods Lowers Toxic Exposure

Families who gave up canned foods and food and beverages prepared and packaged using plastic containers saw their levels of a hormone-disrupting chemical fall by 66%, according to a new journal Environmental Health Perspectives. For three days of eating they consumed only freshly prepared, organic foods. The chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is found in many kinds of plastic food packaging, such as some water bottles, food storage containers, and sealing wrap. It is also used to line the inside of food cans. BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that has been associated with a host of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, and infertility in adults, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The researchers comment that food packaging is the major source of people’s exposure to bisphenol A and the phthalate known as DEHP.

Researchers took urine samples from each family member before, during, and after the study to check for levels of BPA and other chemicals found in plastics. For three days, a caterer who had been coached to avoid preparing food exposed to chemicals from plastics delivered meals prepared from fresh and organic fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats. The cooks were instructed to avoid contact with plastic utensils, and nonstick cookware and foods had to be stored in glass containers with BPA-free plastic lids. Researchers even told food preparers not to overfill the containers so the food wouldn’t touch the plastic lid. Microwaving in plastic was out; so was using coffee makers with plastic parts. Coffee drinkers got their morning coffee from French presses or ceramic drip models. Participating families gave up water in plastic bottles in favor of stainless steel. Eating out was also avoided since other studies have shown some restaurant meals to be high in BPA. By the end of the study, urine tests showed the average BPA level dropped 66%, from 3.7 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) to 1.2 ng/mL. Levels of DEHP metabolites dropped by about half, from 57 ng/mL to 25 ng/ML. People who started the study with the highest BPA levels saw even bigger reductions -- 76% for BPA and about 95% for DEHP metabolites.