The German arm of BUND, a major environmental group, said BPA traces detected in drinks containers made by major players such as Becks, Fanta and Sprite were within current safety limits and unlikely to pose an independent health risk. However, the group called for the banning of the chemical in food contact materials on the grounds that consumption of canned drinks would add to consumers’ cumulative exposure to BPA.
Dozens of studies have linked BPA to several serious health problems including heart disease, diabetes and birth defects, although agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved its use. Of course, these agencies have a track record of approving substances that later prove too harmful or dangerous so approval in itself is no grounds for complacency.
Tests carried out by the laboratory Labor fur Ruckstandsanalkik, of Bremen, found BPA in 11 can linings of the brands examined, with traces of the chemical also discovered in almost half the drinks. Levels per can ranged from 0.3 micrograms (µg) in Nescafé Xpress Vanilla’s container to 8.3µg in Faxe Bier. According to the results, the Coca-Cola can showed 2.6µg, Becks Beer 2.2µg, Red Bull 2.6µg, Xtreme Energy Drink 4.7µg, Rich Energy 4.8µg, Fanta 5.5µg/ and Sprite 6.0µg/can
Traces of BPA were found in five beverages at levels up 3.9µg/litre. The lowest positive level of the chemical was detected at 0.3µg/litre from a can of Sprite, while the highest was in a sample of canned Faxe-Bier. Other positive results saw BPA detected in Red Bull 0.9µg/litre, Nestle Xpress Vanilla drink 1.5µg/litre and 1µg/litre in Schöfferhofer Grapefruit, reported BUND.
No BPA was found in beverage samples tested from Coca-Cola, Fanta, Becks Bier, Rich Prosecco and Xtreme Energy drink.
The group said that factors such as storage conditions of the cans could have influenced the findings and said that more research was needed to determine how significant the results were. This the second recent call from European sources for more research related to BPA. See our recent article concerning the French Food Safety Authority on BPA.
We continue to strongly recommend that you avoid all sources of exposure to BPA.
Tags: bisphenol A, BPA