Every so often a study is published that questions the safety of one particular aspect of our normal daily food consumption. Care must be taken to read the study and look at the details. Do you remember that monkeys might develop a serious illness when they eat a diet high in oranges? In the wild, monkeys don't eat oranges !! Another study indicated that carrots may prevent cancer. Of course, an individual must eat a crate of carrots daily to achieve the same results as in the study. Apparently, it is time once again for the plastics industry to come under fire. A study indicated that high levels of the chemical BPA might be involved in cancer, tumors, and developmental and hormonal changes in humans. So, lets review BPA and look at the details.

BPA or bisphenol A is a chemical used in plastics to make them rigid, shatterproof and heat-resistant. Commonly used products may include reusable water bottles and food containers, baby bottles, plastic tableware and microwave oven ware. It is also commonly used in the lining of cans that contain food products to prevent metal leaching out of the metal and protection from microorganism contamination.

Back in the year 2000, the National Institute of Health first published information concerning several studies that investigated the health effect of BPA in rats. Evidence did not show any health effects of BPA. Since that time, ongoing surveillances have been published reaffirming those findings. In 2005, as a response to the California Assembly's proposed bill to ban BPA, the FDA stated that evidence did not suggest a change in its long term position that BPA uses with food are safe. In 2006, the European Food Safety Authority again reviewed the risk associated with BPA usage and determined that a problem does not exist with normal low dosages. Rats do not excrete BPA as quickly as humans and therefore store some of the chemical in their bodies. Although rats are frequently used in nutrition studies, their metabolism and chemical processing systems are not identical to those of a human. Great care must be taken to understand how the substance under investigation is chemically used by the animal. In 2007, The European Food Safety Authority again did a review of the current literature and found no evidence to indicate BPA is harmful to adult or infant humans. This year's risk assessment of BPA by Health Canada proposed a number of strategies to reduce the amount of BPA exposure, but again the FDA and the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety concludes that BPA is safe.

The greater food safety issue with reusable plastic bottles and food containers still seems to be microorganism related. The containers can harbor bacteria which can readily grow if the container is subjected to favorable conditions. The primary danger with water bottles is when they are left in the car and heat enough to promote bacterial growth. Containers should be kept clean and discarded if the food contact surface becomes scratched.

For more information on food safety contact the dietitians at Hill Nutrition Associates, Inc. 772-220-8058 or www.eatrighthna.com