Health Canada Ready To Declare Plastic Additive In Baby Bottles Dangerous

It's probably in your home and there's a good chance your baby may be using it. And as of this week, Health Canada may declare it a dangerous chemical. It's called Bisphenol A, a long name for a substance that's found in hard plastic bottles.

BPA is widely used by industry and it's in a lot of products - including baby bottles. That has left many parents worried about the potential harmful effect on their infants and Health Canada has heard their concerns.

A recent study by Environmental Defence raised questions about the material, which manufacturers insist is absolutely safe.

If Health Canada comes out with its widely expected declaration on Wednesday, the chemical could be listed as a toxic substance under the country's Environmental Protection Act - and that would allow officials to severally limit its use in this country.

Studies in the U.S. show 90 per cent of the population there carries some traces of it in their bodies. Figures aren't available yet in Canada. If the federal agency issues the edict, it will be the first regulatory body in the world to rule that BPA endangers people and the environment.
"We would very much hope, if it does happen, that it starts a snowball effect around the world," declares Environmental Defence's Rick Smith. "It's linked to developmental problems in kids, different kinds of cancer like breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men."

But some companies aren't waiting for the pronouncement. Zeller's and the Bay have already issued a press release proclaiming their stores will only sell baby products that are Bisphenol-A free.

And the Forzani Group, which runs such popular chains as Sports Chek and Athlete's World in Ontario, announced Tuesday it also wouldn't be waiting for Ottawa to act. It's pulling all the products it sells that contain the chemical. The company joins other outlets, including Mountain Equipment Co-op and Lulullemon Athletica, which had already removed the items.

It's a smart business move for the retailers, regardless of what Health Canada does because many parents have been concerned about the problem for months - and they've already made the switch. "I heard about the bottles and I give him glass," assures Laura Mangoes about her son.

Anna Taormina was alarmed enough to make the alteration, too. "Right away, I grabbed my husband and said we have to go to Toys 'R Us and switch the bottles." BPA is also found in the lining of tin cans of foods like tuna, vegetables and baby formula, which means it could be in your kitchen cupboard.

So should you be worried? Manufacturers insist tests show there's nothing to fear about the substance and extensive research has been done to prove it.

Still, most consumers are concerned about what it might be doing to the tiniest amongst us. "When it comes to these kinds of chemicals, kids are the most susceptible because their little bodies are growing," Smith warns.

And right or wrong, that's enough to make some people give this "A" a failing grade.
Environmental Defence fact sheet on BPA
Manufacturers' side
'Toxic baby bottles' report
Products containing Bisphenol A

Reference: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_21724.aspx