PlasticsEurope's PC/BPA, epoxy resin groups respond to recent articles regarding study published online by U.S. medical journal, JAMA, on exposure to BPA from canned soup; groups say JAMA study offers no 'differing' or 'surprising' data

Lorena Madrigal

BRUSSELS , November 23, 2011 (press release) – In order to prevent potential misunderstandings, the PC/BPA and epoxy resin groups of PlasticsEurope would like to put into perspective recently published articles regarding a study published online in JAMA* on exposure to BPA from canned soup.

Presence of BPA-compounds in urine does not indicate a health risk – new findings reconfirm existing knowledge that exposure levels are extremely low. From a scientific perspective, although of very limited scope, the results of this new study are consistent with existing comprehensive studies: It is well known that trace levels of BPA may be present in canned food, including canned soup. The new publication does not provide any differing or surprising new data in this context. International governmental authorities responsible for human health have consistently concluded that current BPA-exposure through canned foods does not pose a health risk to consumers.

Efficiently excreted: 1000 percent increase from a very small level still remains a small amount – intake level of BPA 50 to 100 times below accepted safe intake level
Several studies have repeatedly confirmed: Once ingested, BPA is efficiently metabolized into an inactive kind of sugar and rapidly excreted via urine. The authors did not note in their press release that they did not measure biologically active free-BPA in urine but total-BPA including mainly, if not exclusively, the inactive metabolite of BPA (BPA-glucuronide). It allows the calculation of the actual exposure to BPA. In their study, the authors neither calculate the actual intake of BPA, nor do they compare actual intakes with safe intake levels. Instead, they highlight “greatly elevated levels” in urine measurements (more than 1000 percent after ingestion of canned soup). However, 1000 percent increase from a very small level still remains a very small amount. A conservative estimation of the actual exposure based on the urinary levels of BPA measured in this new study is at least 50 to 100 times below the safe intake level defined by EFSA (50 μg/kg/day)**. In fact, the recorded increase of total-BPA measured in urine is another reconfirmation of existing evidence of low exposure to BPA and the quick metabolisation and excretion of ingested BPA.

This had very recently been reconfirmed by a comprehensive US-authority study***: free BPA was below the limit of detection in all 320 blood samples analyzed by the CDC laboratory, even for samples with detectable total BPA. The study investigated actual internal human dietary exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) in 20 human volunteers. The study was conducted by researchers from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), executed at a US government national laboratory, and funded by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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