Bisphenol found in most soft drinks

OTTAWA, March 5 (UPI) -- Canada's national health agency reports finding the estrogen-like chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, in 96 percent of canned soft drinks.

Health Canada published the data with little publicity on its Web site and last month in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the Globe and Mail reported.

The highest levels of BPA were found in caffeine-laden energy drinks, although it also appeared in the majority of other canned drinks, the report said.

The chemical is used as a liner to prevent the liquid from interacting with the metal of the can, the report said.

However, the director of Health Canada's Bureau of Chemical Safety, Samuel Godefroy, said the levels found were extremely low and that "an adult would have to drink 900 cans a day to exceed the government's safety level," the Globe said.

The tests of 72 undisclosed brands found an average drink had about half a part per billion, or 500 times more than the level of the naturally occurring female hormone in humans.

Canada has banned the use of BPA in baby bottles because of the estrogen-heightening qualities of the chemical.