High BPAs: Another reason to avoid canned soups

Vegetables and broth might not be all that's in your canned soup

​If the smell of fresh-cooked homemade soup isn't enough of an incentive, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that eating canned soup increases exposure to bisphenol A or BPAs, a chemical that has raised health concerns, especially for children. Canada has declared BPA a toxin.

BPA is used in can linings but can leach into the food itself. And although the FDA and EPA have not stated exposure to low levels is unsafe, consumer advocacy organizations such as the Environmental Working Group say that even low doses may be harmful. BPAs are thought to be particularly harmful to children, and are banned in baby bottles in both the European Union and Canada.

The largest U.S. producers of baby bottles voluntarily decided to stop using BPA in their products. Minnesota was the first state to ban its use in sippy cups and baby bottles, starting in January 2010.

Can't manage to avoid canned foods? "Rinsing canned fruit or vegetables with water prior to heating and serving could lessen BPA ingestion," the EWG recommends on its website.