A study shows that some foods stored in lacquer-coated cans and their liquids may have estrogenic activity. The estrogenic activity was measured using the E-screen bioassay. The biological activity of vegetables in cans was due to plastic monomers used in manufacturing the containers. Bisphenol-A, identified by mass spectrometry, was found as a contaminant in both the liquid of preserved vegetables and in water autoclaved in the cans. The amount of bisphenol-A in the extracts accounted for all the hormonal activity measured. Although other xenoestrogens may be present, it is clear that all estrogenic activity in these cans was due to bisphenol-A leached from the lacquer coating. The use of plastic in food packaging may require closer scrutiny to determine whether epoxy resins and polycarbonates contribute to human exposure to xenoestrogens. Epoxy resins are used as plastic coatings in the food-packing industry. It has been well documented that polymerization of epoxy resin reactions may not be fully complete, and that a significant proportion of unreacted epoxy compounds can be recovered from food packed in containers lined with these plastics. The migration of cured resin components into foods has also been reported. Unreacted epoxy compounds are thought to be toxic due to their alkylating properties. The European Union has established a specific migration limit for bisphenol-A in food of 0.02 mg/kg. The presence of bisphenol-A in these coatings was considered of lesser importance, and a higher tolerance limit (3 mg/kg) was established by the EU Commission. However, concerns about the toxicity of this compound were heightened when it was shown that bisphenol-A was estrogenic. The study aimed to determine whether estrogenic activity due to plastic components was present in foods packed in lacquer-coated cans. The presence of estrogenic activity in foodstuffs inside cans and the identification of the estrogenic component as a chemical leached from the inner plastic coating were demonstrated. The study used MCF7 human breast cancer cells in the E-screen test to assess estrogenic activity. The results showed that extracts from food packed in lacquer-coated cans had estrogenic activity, with bisphenol-A identified as the estrogenic component. The amount of bisphenol-A found in the estrogenic extracts accounted for all the hormonal activity measured. The study also found that bisphenol-A was released from the lacquer coating during autoclaving. The study concluded that the use of plastic coatings in certain food-packaging materials may require closer scrutiny to determine whether epoxy resins and polycarbonates contribute to the inadvertent exposure of consumers to estrogenic xenobiotics.A study shows that some foods stored in lacquer-coated cans and their liquids may have estrogenic activity. The estrogenic activity was measured using the E-screen bioassay. The biological activity of vegetables in cans was due to plastic monomers used in manufacturing the containers. Bisphenol-A, identified by mass spectrometry, was found as a contaminant in both the liquid of preserved vegetables and in water autoclaved in the cans. The amount of bisphenol-A in the extracts accounted for all the hormonal activity measured. Although other xenoestrogens may be present, it is clear that all estrogenic activity in these cans was due to bisphenol-A leached from the lacquer coating. The use of plastic in food packaging may require closer scrutiny to determine whether epoxy resins and polycarbonates contribute to human exposure to xenoestrogens. Epoxy resins are used as plastic coatings in the food-packing industry. It has been well documented that polymerization of epoxy resin reactions may not be fully complete, and that a significant proportion of unreacted epoxy compounds can be recovered from food packed in containers lined with these plastics. The migration of cured resin components into foods has also been reported. Unreacted epoxy compounds are thought to be toxic due to their alkylating properties. The European Union has established a specific migration limit for bisphenol-A in food of 0.02 mg/kg. The presence of bisphenol-A in these coatings was considered of lesser importance, and a higher tolerance limit (3 mg/kg) was established by the EU Commission. However, concerns about the toxicity of this compound were heightened when it was shown that bisphenol-A was estrogenic. The study aimed to determine whether estrogenic activity due to plastic components was present in foods packed in lacquer-coated cans. The presence of estrogenic activity in foodstuffs inside cans and the identification of the estrogenic component as a chemical leached from the inner plastic coating were demonstrated. The study used MCF7 human breast cancer cells in the E-screen test to assess estrogenic activity. The results showed that extracts from food packed in lacquer-coated cans had estrogenic activity, with bisphenol-A identified as the estrogenic component. The amount of bisphenol-A found in the estrogenic extracts accounted for all the hormonal activity measured. The study also found that bisphenol-A was released from the lacquer coating during autoclaving. The study concluded that the use of plastic coatings in certain food-packaging materials may require closer scrutiny to determine whether epoxy resins and polycarbonates contribute to the inadvertent exposure of consumers to estrogenic xenobiotics.