Canadians Are Less Toxic Than Americans

A recent article in this month's Canadian Medical Association Journal has found that despite similar lifestyles and cultures, Canadians on average have half the level of bisphenol A or BPA in their bodies than their across the border American counterparts.

Bisphenol A, most notoriously of plastic water bottle fame, is a chemical widely used in the manufacturer of plastics. An endocrine disruptor which can mimic the body's own hormones, with babies and children particularly susceptible to its effects, BPA has been linked to issues in fertility, neurological issues such as in infant and fetal brain development, poor thyroid functioning and cancer.

In October of last year Health Canada, the department of the Canadian government responsible for public health, went so far as to label BPA toxic, while in both Canada and the 27 member states of the European Union, BPA is banned in the use of baby bottles.

Although General Mills owned canned organic tomato purveyors have begun to can their tomatoes in BPA-free cans, the chemical is ubiquitous. It appears in most plastic containers ranging from yogurt containers to juice bottles (unless labeled otherwise), and as a non-reactive liner in aluminum bottled and canned products such as soda and soup, baby formula, and even in the lid liner of jarred (as in glass) foodstuffs. New York State passed regulations disallowing bpa in food containers and toys

Most tellingly, the levels are highest in the littlest and most sensitive people - children and teenagers.

As for right now, scientists are still puzzled as to why Canadians manage to have so much less in their bodies despite similar known exposure risks. One of the only noticeable differences in exposure factors between Canada and the United States is that Canada does not have any chemical plants manufacture BPA prompting the report's researcher Dr. Laura Vandenberg, a postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University in Massachusetts to say that" … environmental factors may be key to understanding the differences between urine concentrations seen in the US and Canada".

Photo Credit: Nerissa's Ring