For consumers, figuring out which canned foods and plastics contain the controversial chemical known as BPA can be nearly impossible. But determining whether newer alternatives are any safer may be even more difficult.

Some food giants like General Mills and the Campbell Soup Company have shifted away from using bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical commonly used in the coatings of canned goods to ward off botulism and spoilage. But in many instances, some health advocates say, companies do not disclose which products are now BPA-free.

More worrisome, these advocates and scientists say, is a lack of information about alternatives, and a growing body of evidence suggesting that some newer options may not be any safer.

“We do want to push companies away from it, because it is a known toxin,” said Renée Sharp, the director of research for the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. “At the same time, we are also definitely worried about the chemicals coming on the market and we don’t have a lot of good information about a number of them.”

Studies linking BPA to developmental and reproductive health problems go back decades, and researchers, health advocates and even the federal government have voiced concerns about the chemical for years. But an enormous body of conflicting evidence has slowed efforts to regulate BPA more tightly.

via Facing Consumer Pressure, Companies Start to Seek Safe Alternatives to BPA – The New York Times.