PotPourri Of Global Interest: Canned Food Hazards

There are certain hazards of eating canned food that you should be aware of:

Botulism: Thankfully, botulism poisoning from canned food in the U.S. is very rare, but considering these toxins are some of the most deadly known to man, it’s important to know potential warning signs of botulism contamination: don’t buy or open expired, bulging, rusty, or dented cans, and don’t consume or even touch can contents if there is a foul odor upon opening.
BPA Contamination: Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that has been used in many hard plastics and metal and aluminum cans since the 1960s.
In May 2010, the National Work Group for Safe Markets released a study called “No Silver Lining”, reporting that consumers were exposed to dangerous levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) in canned food. The canned foods in the study included fish, fruits, vegetables, soups, and sodas, and 90% had detectable levels of BPA^1,2 .

To date, a very large number of studies have linked even low doses of BPA exposure in animals to illnesses that are on the rise in the U.S., including breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, heart disease, infertility, obesity, and developmental and reproductive harm³ .
Yet, despite longstanding concerns over BPA, the FDA has only as recently as this year reported that it will be working with the food industry in the evaluation and manufacturing of alternatives to limit our exposure to BPA^4,5 .