Epoxy resin (can interior coating)
Coating on the inside of cans. Particles from the coating in canned drinks. Industry voluntary standard for bisphenol A.
Main uses
- Coating on the inside of beverage cans and canned food
- Coating on metal caps (caps on glass bottles use polyester-based paint)
Found in food, water and the human body
- A survey of 73 beverages in Spain found phenoxy resin particles from the can coating in every canned drink (Socas-Hernández et al. 2024)
- In drinks in glass bottles, the source of the particles was the paint on the outside of the metal cap (polyester-based) (Chaïb et al. 2025, ANSES)
Detailed numbers by food: Beer, wine, soft drinks and canned drinks, Canned food, Drinks in glass bottles
Evaluations of raw materials and additives
- For bisphenol A, see “Polycarbonate”
- The raw material epichlorohydrin is IARC Group 2A
IARC classifications rate the strength of evidence that something can cause cancer, not the size of the risk at everyday amounts.
Japan's standards (utensils, containers and packaging that touch food)
- Japanese industry voluntary standard: BPA leaching from canned goods made in Japan is held to 0.005 ppm or less for beverage cans and 0.01 ppm or less for food cans (July 2008, Consumer Affairs Agency document)
- MHLW Notification No. 370 (interior coating of metal cans): epichlorohydrin 0.5 μg/mL or less, phenol 5 μg/mL or less, and other limits
- Coatings do not carry a resin identification code (ASTM D7611)
General standards for all synthetic resins: cadmium and lead in the material 100 μg/g or less each, heavy metals migrating (as lead) 1 μg/mL or less, and others. Since June 2020, synthetic resins that touch food have been under a “positive list system” that sets which substances may be used (the transition period ended May 31, 2025). → Rules and regulation
Production in Japan
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epoxy resin (all uses) | 96,007 t | 97,769 t | 93,926 t |
Compiled by the Japan Plastics Industry Federation (based on METI's production statistics). This is the amount made in Japan, not the amount used in Japan.
Sources
- Socas-Hernández C, et al. Food Chem 2024;447:139002 (PMID 38513486)
- Chaïb I, et al. J Food Compos Anal 2025;144:107719
- Consumer Affairs Agency, “About bisphenol A”
- Consumer Affairs Agency, standards for utensils, containers and packaging (Notification No. 370, Part 3) (Japanese)
- IARC List of Classifications
- Japan Plastics Industry Federation, statistics (Japanese)
Last checked 2026-10-01. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.