CANADIAN STORES PULL TOXIC BOTTLES

CANUCK RETAIL CHAIN

DUMPS POLYCARBONATE BOTTLES

Canada's largest outdoor-goods chain has pulled water bottles and food containers made of polycarbonate plastic from its shelves over worries about the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to cancer and reproductive problems. Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op is the first major Canadian retailer to stop selling products that contain BPA. U.S.-based outdoor gear company Patagonia and baby bottle manufacturer Whole Foods Markets have also dropped products containing BPA.

Bisphenol A is a synthetic chemical compound used in a wide range of consumer items, including water bottles, baby bottles, and the linings of food cans, including most major brands of infant formula. BPA is a hormone disruptor, and low-dose BPA exposure has been linked to permanent changes to genital tract, increase prostate weight, decline in testosterone, breast and prostate cells predisposed to cancer, and hyperactivity. Studies show that BPA can leach into food if heated or scrubbed. Manufacturers say the products are not dangerous, citing studies from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that containers manufactured from polycarbonate do not pose a health risk to humans.

Health Canada is conducting an assessment of bisphenol A and expects to issue a final report in 2009. Norway and the European Union are also reviewing the product. Japanese manufacturers voluntarily stopped making products using polycarbonate plastic six years ago.

There are plenty of alternatives to using polycarbonate plastic. First, avoid food and beverage containers that contain BPA - containers marked with the recycling symbol #7. Or better yet, avoid plastics altogether and switch to glass or stainless steel containers.

Finally, take action: sign Toxic Nation’s petition to ban BPA.

Sources, resources and discourses:

1. The Globe and Mail – article
2. ENN –article
3. ENN – article
4. Wikipedia – “Bisphenol A”
5. Environmental Defence – webpage
6. Toxic Nation – petition to ban bisphenol A