In tests of 250 food cans, the Center for Environmental Health found that nearly 40 percent were lined with bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to birth defects and cancer along with other health disorders, says the CEH in a report.
The cans were purchased in 11 states—California, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Virginia—mostly from four national retailers—Kroger, Dollar Tree, Albertsons/Safeway, and 99 Cents Only. According to the report, “36 percent of Albertsons’ and 33 percent of Kroger’s ‘private label’ food cans tested positive for this harmful chemical.”
But the greatest threat was found in the two dollar stores—99 Cents Only and Dollar Tree—where cans were most likely to contain BPA. This could pose a special risk to low-income communities of color, where residents often turn to dollar stories for food purchases.
The CEH compared its results with those from a 2015 Buyer Beware report released by the Breast Cancer Fund and others. In that report, 67 percent of cans tested positive for BPA. That could mean the lower numbers found in the CEH report suggest that some progress has been made in removing the chemical from cans. At the same time, some manufacturers have switched to lining their cans with PVC, another known toxin.