Canada says chemical in hard plastic bottles may be unsafe

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Canada says chemical in hard plastic bottles may be unsafe

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press Writer - Fri Apr 18

http://health./news/ap/bpa_ban.html

TORONTO - An ubiquitous chemical found in hard plastic water bottles, DVDs, CDs

and hundreds of other common items came under increased pressure Friday when

Canada said it's potentially harmful and may ban its use in baby bottles.

Health Canada made the announcement shortly after a U.S. company said it would

stop selling hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A because of

growing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk.

Health Canada's action could be the first step toward Canada banning the

chemical altogether.

Earlier this week, the U.S. government's National Toxicology Program said that

there is " some concern " about BPA from experiments on rats that linked the

chemical to changes in behavior and the brain, early puberty and possibly

precancerous changes in the prostate and breast. While such animal studies only

provide " limited evidence " of risk, the draft report said a possible effect on

humans " cannot be dismissed. "

With more than 6 million pounds produced in the United States each year,

bisphenol A is found in dental sealants, baby bottles, the liners of food cans,

CDs and DVDs, eyeglasses and hundreds of household goods.

In Canada, Health Minister Tony Clement said a draft report on bisphenol A has

found the chemical could endanger people - particularly newborns and infants -

and the environment.

" To be prudent, the government of Canada is proposing to reduce bisphenol A

exposure in infants and newborns by by proposing a number of actions: to ban

polycarbonate baby bottles; to develop stringent migration targets for bisphenol

A in infant formula cans; to work with industry to develop alternative food

packaging and develop a code of practice; and to list bisphenol A under Schedule

1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. "

Ottawa is giving the public 60 days to comment on the report and Clement said it

will ban its use in baby bottles if no new relevant information comes forward.

" It is our intention to ban the importation, the sale and advertising, " Clement

said of its use in baby bottles. " Canada will be the first country in the world

to take such action to limit exposures to bisphenol A. "

Earlier this week, Wal-Mart Canada and other major retailers in Canada began

removing BPA-based food-related products such as baby bottles and sipping cups

from store shelves.

Highly durable and lightweight, resistant to stains and odors, and able to

withstand extremes of hot and cold, screw-cap Nalgene bottles have been marketed

as an environmentally responsible substitute for disposable water bottles.

Citing multiple studies in the United States, Europe and Japan, the chemicals

industry maintains that polycarbonate bottles contain little BPA and leach

traces considered too low to harm humans.

But critics point to an influx of animal studies linking low doses to a wide

variety of ailments - from breast and prostate cancer, obesity and

hyperactivity, to miscarriages and other reproductive failures.

" I think the writing's on the wall for this chemical, " said Freeman,

policy director of Toronto-based Environmental Defence Canada. " You've got major

retailers with huge market clout pulling BPA products ... and you've got

consumers in droves who are opting for alternatives. They're a bit late to the

game, but they are responding to that consumer demand. "

In Washington a key Democratic Senator said the chemical should be banned from

all children's products and food-packing containers. Sen. Schumer of New

York blasted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for signing off on bisphenol

A, despite dozens of studies suggesting it may interfere with hormones and other

biological functions.

" At best FDA gave Americans a false sense of comfort about a questionable

substance. At worst, they put millions of Americans directly at risk, " Schumer

said.

Schumer plans to introduce a bill Monday banning the chemical and funding a

public health campaign on its potential risks to infants. Other lawmakers are

expected to propose similar measures.

An expert panel of 38 academic and government researchers who attended a U.S.

National Institutes of Health-sponsored conference said in a study in August

that " the potential for BPA to impact human health is a concern, and more

research is clearly needed. "

Nalge Nunc International, a division of Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher

Scientific Inc., said Friday it will substitute its Nalgene Outdoor line of

polycarbonate plastic containers with BPA-free alternatives.

" We continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their

intended use, " Silverman, general manager of the Nalgene business, said

in a statement. " However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free

alternatives and we acted in response to those concerns. "

Nalge Nunc was founded in 1949 by Rochester chemist Emanuel Goldberg. The

lab-equipment supplier's product evolved in the 1970s after rumors spread about

its scientists taking hardy lab vessels on weekend outings. That led the company

to form a water-bottle consumer unit targeting Boy Scouts, hikers and campers.

In 2000, a new sports line of Nalgene-brand bottles offered in red, blue and

yellow hues quickly became the rage in high schools and on college campuses.

_

Associated Press Writer Ben Dobbin in Rochester, N.Y. contributed to this

report.