Ridding life of products BPA (plastic)

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Ridding life of products made with chemical BPA could prove a challenge

Wed Apr 16, 8:02 PM

By Sheryl Ubelacker, Health Reporter, The Canadian Press

http://ca.news./s/capress/080416/health/health_bisphenol_a_consumers

TORONTO - When most Canadians open their kitchen cupboards, they're sure to find

at least one product packaged in a container made with bisphenol A.

The controversial chemical, expected to soon be designated a toxic agent by the

federal government, is a mainstay of products consumers use every day - from

water and baby bottles to liners in food and beverage cans to sealants used in

dental fillings.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, allows manufacturers to make a rigid and translucent

product known as polycarbonate plastic, often - but not always - identified by a

triangle surrounding the number 7. In canned food and beverages, especially

acidic vegetables and fruits, BPA-resin liners stop the contents from eroding

the metal container.

But it's also a molecule that mimics estrogen and can leach from receptacles:

injection of the agent into lab rodents has been shown to cause hormonal

dysfunction and tumours, and scientists believe long-term exposure in humans

could lead in some cases to infertility, early puberty, and even breast and

prostate cancers.

So if BPA is virtually everywhere, what can consumers do to protect their

health?

" My advice would be to take action, that there's enough evidence to take

action, " said Rick , executive director of Environmental Defence, an

advocacy group that has long lobbied to have BPA deemed a toxic agent.

" This is the kind of chemical that may cause problems in the longer term, "

said Wednesday. " This is not the kind of chemical that's going to cause problems

all at once in a day or two. "

" So people don't need to rush out today, but certainly as soon as they can they

should substitute non-toxic alternatives for their bisphenol A products,

especially if they're using things for their kids. "

Infants and children are especially vulnerable to pollutants and toxins because

their brains and bodies are still developing, with their cells dividing more

quickly than those of adults, he said.

While many manufacturers have stopped making BPA-containing plastic baby bottles

and turned to safer alternatives, parents may still be using older products that

can leach BPA with heating and washing, as well as from acidic liquids like

juice.

" They should absolutely ditch their bisphenol A baby bottles and sippy cups, "

said , who advises switching to glass, or at the least, non-toxic plastic.

" There are very good, reasonably priced alternatives in the market right now. "

The same is true for sports water bottles made with plastic containing bisphenol

A. In fact, many major Canadian retailers have pulled such bottles from their

shelves, replacing them with non-toxic plastic or stainless steel products.

Some, such as the Hudson's Bay company, are offering buy-back programs of

bottles containing the chemical.

On Wednesday, Wal-Mart Canada joined the growing list of retailers dumping at

least some BPA products when it announced it will immediately stop selling

select baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, food containers and water bottles

made with the agent. Home Depot Canada also said it would pull products made

with BPA from its stores.

But conceded it will be more difficult for Canadians to entirely eliminate

BPA exposure because so many food and beverage containers are made with the

chemical.

" Most brands of tin cans are lined with a bisphenol A resin, " said . Large

water-cooler jugs are also often made from that type of plastic, as are soft

drink and fruit juice bottles.

" When it comes to canned goods, it's much more difficult and this is where we

need regulatory action, because unless you're fortunate enough to live right

beside a farmer's market, you're probably not going to be able to completely

eliminate canned goods from your diet. "

" And this also loops back to kids, " he said, noting that most baby formulas are

in cans lined with BPA resins. " So if a kid is drinking formula from a

bisphenol-A baby bottle, they're actually getting a double whammy because the

actual packaging that the formula comes in contains bisphenol A and then you're

adding it to a baby bottle. "

advises parents to switch to powdered formula sold in cardboard

containers. Even though those paper-based packages have metal tops and bottoms

lined with BPA resin, contact with the dry contents would be much reduced, he

said.

" So when it comes to infant formula, families can minimize their exposure

through using powdered formula. But in general unless you completely eliminate

canned food from your diet, there's no good answer. "

What to do about bisphenol A-based plastics is proving a conundrum for container

makers as well, said Lawrence Dworkin, director of government relations for the

Packaging Association of Canada.

While research into alternatives has been going on within the industry, Dworkin

said no substitute has been found to do the job of maintaining the integrity of

metal cans and protecting contents from spoilage.

He estimated that packaging manufacturers in Canada employ between 4,000 and

5,000 people.

" If it was outright banned tomorrow, " he said of bisphenol A, " we should have

some major disruptions certainly in the production side of those companies and

.... (it) would probably shut down the industry. "

Still, Dworkin said the industry would live with whatever the government

decides, whether that means getting rid of BPA completely or meeting allowable

levels.

" If it's proven this stuff is a health hazard, then it's got to go. The health

of consumers comes first. "

Worldwide production capacity for BPA is 3.7 billion kilograms per year,

according to chemical industry analysts. Just over a billion kilograms are

produced in the United States - with half of that in Texas plants owned by Dow,

Bayer and Hexion Specialty Chemicals.

Mark Walton, a spokesman for Dow Chemical, said BPA is one of several agents

being assessed under Canadian environmental law, a step that would enable

authorities to " consider any other forms of regulatory actions that may be

appropriate based on the science. "

Walton said it's unlikely Dow would change what it does about bisphenol A " in

the near future. " The company and a number of regulatory groups have reviewed

BPA and " these reviews continue to find that there is no concern for health,

although some do say we'd like to have some areas of the science clarified by

more research. "

of Environmental Defence predicted that given the parade of retailers

choosing to pull products made with BPA, manufacturers that don't switch to

alternatives will lose market share to those that do.

But even if Ottawa does deem BPA a toxic material, " this is not the end of the

road by any means, " said .

" The regulatory process in Canada is a very long and tortuous process. We don't

know exactly where the government is headed, but certainly there's a lot of

momentum unfolding and we think it's headed in the right direction. "