Bisphenol A and Hormone Disruption – Is it gone yet?

Bisphenol A (or BPA) has always been a major cause for concern in young children as well as pregnant women. The reason is simple – the chemical itself causes severe hormone disruptions that can have harmful effects on your body. According to a couple of reliable sources, some of these problems include structural damage to the brain, increased risk of obesity, etc. It may also alter your immune functions, be the cause for changes in your gender specific behavior, and many others. No wonder it is a cause for concern in people.

The chemical itself is used as a material in food cans. There were many campaigns against the use of this drug in food cans, and therefore the food companies had to agree with the demands of the people. It was believed that the drug was finally gone for good, but was it really?

A group of nonprofits have recently released a report that shows that more than sixty percent of the food companies, which include America’s largest food companies, are still using BPA in the cans. And even in the case of the cans that do not contain BPA, the companies that make them refuse to release any insight upon what is being used as a substitute for BPA.

If we talk about the details mentioned in the report, or in other words the specifics, the report mentions most of the top brands in the American food industry, like Del Monte and General Mills. Apparently, 71% of the test samples from Del Monte contained BPA, whereas the specifics for General Mills was 50%. Many other bigger brands like ConAgra, Amy’s Kitchen, etc. have stopped the use of the chemical in the production of the cans, and Del Monte declared that it will stop the use of the chemical itself this year. Campbell did make a promise to stop the use of BPA by mid-2017, and has been working on it.

The biggest question that lies here is not why the food companies don’t stop using Bisphenol A, but rather what are the companies that claim to have stopped using Bisphenol A using instead. BPA is a material that is used to stop the cans (food cans) from corroding and spoiling the food preserved inside of them. Many other materials have been tried instead of BPA, like Bisphenol S and Bisphenol F, but none seem to have had any positive effect, as they contain the same problems as BPA. Hence it remains a cause for concern, as even if the brands are replacing BPA, what they are replacing it with might still be equally dangerous.

That set aside, no one as of now can declare what may be the best for the entire human race, and you may be thinking of avoiding canned foods, but BPA is not the only thing to be concerned about. The entire story is much longer than that. There are a variety of other harmful chemicals, which are used in the production of various commodities that we use daily. The harmful medical effects are unknown to most. In case you are interested in the medical field or want to advance your career in healthcare, try Adelphi University's health informatics degree online, George Washington's MBA in health care management or perhaps University of Cincinatti.