What you can do: Complain to Coke, contact your legislators, and when not drinking water, opt for beverages in glass or stainless steel containers.

In the can: Some food and beverage cans are lined with BPA, and the food industry seems determined to keep it that way.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Last week, Connecticut became the first state to ban the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, from infant bottles and food containers, although the ban won’t go into effect until 2011. Federal lawmakers are also mulling a ban on the chemical, which is linked to cancer and a host of other ailments, from all food and beverage containers. The anti-BPA legislation won’t pass without a fight, though. The Washington Post recently uncovered internal memos from food-container lobbyists and Coca-Cola that outline a public relations campaign that would try to sway consumers into thinking the chemical is safe, even though mounting scientific evidence paints a very different picture.

THE DETAILS: In the lobbyists’ internal memo, industry leaders, including representatives from Coke, talked about creating the perfect BPA public relations campaign, which would show a young pregnant woman talking about the safety of BPA. According to The Washington Post story, advocates of the proposed campaign, which would cost an estimated $500,000, suggested using fear tactics, such as associating fresh or frozen (i.e., not canned) food products with more expensive grocery bills, and making consumers fear a loss of access to baby food if the ban goes through.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration still says BPA is safe, citing two studies funded by the chemical industry, many other peer-reviewed scientific studies suggest otherwise. Lab studies have suggested exposure could be linked to breast, testicular, and prostate cancers, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, miscarriage, low sperm counts, and problems with reproductive development. Several cities and states have either banned or are in the process of trying to ban the use of BPA in certain products. But a federal ban on all food and drink containers could help end confusion and keep the chemical out of everything from plastic, microwavable, and recycled-paper food containers to polycarbonate water bottles, baby bottles, soda cans, canned food, and baby formula.

WHAT IT MEANS: The industry still claims BPA is safe, and says it’s needed in the lining of metal cans, including soda cans, to preserve the product and keep it from absorbing any metal. But studies are finding that the chemical disrupts the body’s hormone systems. And a recent study found that drinking out of polycarbonate water bottles (labeled No. 7 plastic, although not all No. 7s contain BPA) for just a week can create a sharp rise in the BPA detectable in your urine. Also, some food companies seem to do fine without it: Japan has developed one alternative, Pepsi says it has never used BPA, and Eden Foods doesn’t use BPA in its canned goods. As concern over the chemical has mounted, all six major U.S. makers of baby bottles have agreed not to use the chemical in their products.

Here’s how you can help banish this chemical from your diet.

• Call Coke. The Environmental Working Group has long been working to ban BPA. In light of the massive PR campaign aimed at saving the chemical, they have launched their own campaign and are asking concerned citizens to call and grill Coke and Del Monte (the huge canned-fruit company) over their support of the chemical. You can also contact the makers of your favorite beverages and foods to encourage them to find a BPA alternative.

• Connect with Washington. Contact your elected officials and urge them to support a sweeping ban of BPA in all food and beverage containers.

• Protect yourself. Until a widespread ban goes through, you can avoid BPA by choosing fresh or frozen foods over canned versions (acidic products like tomatoes are particularly prone to causing BPA to leach). Take your own mug or stainless steel container to coffee shops when you’re filling up, and avoid microwaving foods in plastic. While not all plastic contains BPA, heating up any plastic causes chemicals to wind up in your food or drink. If you’re a new parent and don’t breastfeed, favor powdered formula over canned, and feed using glass bottles rather than plastic.