Are bisphenols in canned food liners safe for children?
Use caution. Canned food is linked to higher BPA levels, and a mother-child diet intervention lowered children’s urinary BPA when families avoided canned foods and plastic containers.
What's actually in it
Many metal food cans use a liner to keep food from touching the metal. Some older liners used BPA. Some newer products use related bisphenols, such as BPS or BPF.
Bisphenols can move from food-contact materials into food. Children get a higher dose for their body weight than adults when they eat the same food.
What the research says
A 2016 study in Environmental Research analyzed 7,669 NHANES participants age 6 and older. Eating 1 canned food in the past 24 hours was linked to 24% higher urinary BPA. Eating 2 or more canned foods was linked to 54% higher urinary BPA. Canned soup had the strongest association.
A 2020 study in Science of the Total Environment asked mother-child pairs to avoid canned foods, plastic containers, fast food, and delivery food for 3 days. Children’s urinary BPA fell by 47.5% during the intervention.
These studies focus on exposure. They do not prove that one canned meal harms a child. They do show that canned foods and plastic food contact can add to BPA exposure.
What to do
Use fresh, frozen, or jarred foods when it fits your budget. Do not heat food in the can. Move leftovers into glass food storage.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The consumption of canned food and beverages and urinary Bisphenol A concentrations in NHANES 2003-2008. | Environ Res | 2016 |
| Dietary contribution to body burden of bisphenol A and bisphenol S among mother-children pairs. | Sci Total Environ | 2020 |