XENOESTROGENS RELEASED FROM LACQUER COATINGS IN FOOD CANS

We present data showing that some foods preserved in lacquer-coated ca ns and the liquid in them may acquire estrogenic activity. Hormonal ac tivity was measured using the E-screen bioassay. The biological activi ty of vegetables packed in cans was a result of plastic monomers used in manufacturing the containers. The plastic monomer bisphenol-A, iden tified by mass spectrometry, was found as a contaminant not only in th e liquid of the preserved vegetables but also in water autoclaved in t he cans. The amount of bisphenol-A in the extracts accounted for all t he hormonal activity measured. Although the presence of other xenoestr ogens cannot: be ruled out, it is apparent that all estrogenic activit y in these cans was due to bisphenol-A leached from the lacquer coatin g. The use of plastic in food-packaging materials may require closer s crutiny to determine whether epoxy resins and polycarbonates contribut e to human exposure to xenoestrogens.