Photo © 2009 AFP Photo

Previously on The 7PM Project we covered how the toxic chemical Bisphenol-A, or BPA, has been found in baby bottles. This use is now being phased out, following in the steps of Canada, the United States, and Denmark where the chemical has been banned.

New studies released today by consumer advocate Choice show levels of BPA are also in tinned foods, including popular baby brands.

Choice looked at laboratory samples of 38 tinned products - including baby food, baked beans, coconut milk, corn kernels, soups and fish – and revealed 29 contained "potentially harmful" BPA levels.

The substance is used widely in plastics to stop food and drink tins rusting. But it has been linked by some animal studies to infertility, cancers, heart disease, attention deficit disorder and other health risks.

Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn said though all the tested foods were well below the European Union's safety limit of 600 parts per billion, some scientists believed that the threshold should be set far lower.

Mr Zinn explains some scientists believe the threshold "is based on outdated research and say babies and small children in particular are at risk because of their small body weight and rapid growth".

Heinz has recently agreed to remove BPA from baby food packaging over the next year.

But the Australian Food and Grocery Council has rejected Choice’s findings. “There's no scientific evidence internationally that has shown any dangers to humans from BPA in canned products or bottles," says spokesman Dr Geoffrey Annison.

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