That's some scary news. I read in the WSJ that the EPA apparently only knows about the impact of 200 of over 80,000 chemicals in daily use. Also scary. Personally I'm moving closer and closer to the organic and chemical-free life with every purchase.

So scary, and I truly feel that we will look back on this and shake our heads, when BPA is banned in the future. It has certainly happened countless times before! I need tomato paste in my life like I need water, so I called Trader Joes and their friendly customer service assured me their tomato paste comes in BPA free cans. Beyond that we do not heat food in plastic and will be switching to dried beans, and sadly giving up our last disgustingly guilty pleasure: Chef Boyardee mini ravioli in a can. Farewell, friend, our reproductive and hormonal health have to take priority!

Ugh. I can't believe this.

So very disappointing. My food budget has really taken a hit since I stopped buying canned food.

I guess our only hope now is to buy from companies that have bpa-free packaging in hopes that other will follow suit.

I sure wish I lived close to a Trader Joes.

The actual research on BPA is pretty interesting - a number of studies (using a lab animal model) have found that it is actually the lowest levels of exposure that are the most dangerous. It's a finding that has yet to be explained and makes very little sense in the context of chemical toxicity, but if you're the type of person who reacts very strongly to every unsupported trend in the news, I'd suggest being REALLY vigilant on this one - just limiting your BPA intake could turn out to be more dangerous than not checking it at all.

ny2midmo- could you point me in the direction of this info? Very interesting, and kind of scary huh?!

@Tara in Florida,

So far I've only seen it in peer-reviewed science journals, the popular news hasn't reported on it, so you'd need something like University access to read the articles. But the Wiki page summarizes a lot of it. Long story short, the results are widely varied, most of the claims in the news are based off of single studies (which is a huge no-no in the science world), and no one has figured out how to mimic human exposure levels in lab animals. Some studies use acute dosages and others use long-term dosages, the results between those two vary, and no one knows what a typical long-term exposure level may be.

Studies directly in humans have only determined associations between higher levels of BPA in the urine and certain health problems, but correlation does not equal causation, these are health problems commonly associated with poor health, and it has to be considered that those people with the highest regular levels of BPA exposure are going to be those people who are eating a lot of canned and pre-packaged food, are likely economically depressed, and therefore already at a higher risk for all these issues. Are higher levels of BPA in humans associated with diabetes because it causes diabetes, or because people with high level of BPA exposure have generally poor diets, work long hours, have little access to health care, and are generally pre-disposed to diabetes in the first place.

The most consistent evidence that BPA may do some damage is in studies of fetal development, which is why it is being most aggressively banned from products used by infants and pregnant women, but even that is unclear. A variety of neurological issues have been associated with fetal BPA exposure (in rats and mice), but studies of humans have found that 96% of pregnant women are positive for BPA, and we're not seeing NEARLY that level of occurrence of these problems, so there are clearly other questions here.

I find it fascinating in general how quickly people are to jump from one popular fear to another, and the extent that some people will go to change their lives to accomodate something that they really don't have any actual knowledge about. Sure, chemicals are bad, we should avoid them. But we do more good for ourselves and our families by just doing our best to eat fresh, healthy foods and get plenty of rest and exercise than we probably do obsessing over one particular chemical or another. I'd love to see a study on the negative health effects of stressing out over BPA in our foods.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

I have made so many changes in my food purchases since all the BPA and GMO information has gone mainstream. I now grow much of my own food which includes a ton of tomatoes, which I freeze and use all winter long. I actually save money, the food tastes better, is pesticide free and I know what's in it. I'm planning to get chickens next, and I live smack in the middle of a large city.

ny2midmo- good summary of correlation =/= cause! thanks! often people forget this, or arent aware of it in the first place, especially the way science is reported in popular media. I do have uni access, so maybe a couple PMIDs?

aside from that, i do my best to make good choices, and yes that includes seeking my three fave canned foods in bpa-free packaging (tomato sauce- pomi, coconut milk- nave forest, sardines- wild planet). I try to just eat fresh, which eliminates a ton of bpa and non-bpa related health issues already!

fun tip: mason jar + reusable canning lid (which is bpa free) + drill = reusable, bpa free travel mug. especially awesome f you are obsessed with mason jars...

Which canning lid is bpa-free? Last I knew they were all coated.

@NY2MIDMO

I am a university student and would love to read this article/these articles. Do you have any DOI (digital object identifier) for them?

Excellent comments section, thanks for all the insightful posts so far - thats a great idea TARA IN FLORIDA! Personally I blow off most of these health scares in the news, but once I became aware that I am A) A constant consumer of high BPA products (can of tomato paste every. single. day.) and B) Dealing with fertility issues, I decided to take just this one seriously. It hasn't been difficult, aside from needing to stock up on the tomato paste at Trader Joe's 2 hours away! And I think its worth it just in case.