The Globe and Mail has been ALL OVER the BPA story this week. Again today, they have more revelations, and more evidence that BPA is harmful.
Bisphenol A… has the ability to alter the activity of genes in normal breast cells in ways that resemble what is found in extremely dangerous breast cancers, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by researchers in California and published this month in the journal Cancer Research, found that many genes in non-cancerous breast cells exposed to trace amounts of bisphenol A began acting in a way that closely resembled the gene activity in highly aggressive breast tumours that led to an increased likelihood that women would die of the disease.
The link “is highly supportive of the concept that overexposure to BPA and/or similar compounds could be an underlying factor in the aggressiveness, if not in the causality” of breast cancers, said Shanaz Dairkee, lead author of the study and senior scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, in an e-mail.[source]
With that ammunition, the Canadian government took action today to deem BPA a dangerous substance.
“Canada has been the first country in the world to conduct risk assessments on a number of chemicals of concern, as a result of a new initiative announced by the Prime Minister on December 8, 2006 known as the Chemicals Management Plan,” said Minister Clement. “We have immediately taken action on bisphenol A, because we believe it is our responsibility to ensure families, Canadians and our environment are not exposed to a potentially harmful chemical.”[source]
It’s not enough to have it banned, but enough to scare retailers across the country to get the stuff off their shelves. Some manufacturers are also getting the message.
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. [source]
But some aren’t. Check out the headlines at bisphenol-a.org
Are the Myths About Polycarbonate Bottles True? New Information Supports the Safe Use of Polycarbonate Bottles - February 5, 2008
Polycarbonate Bottles Are Still Safe For Use – In Spite of the Latest Scare Story - January 31, 2008
New Data from CDC Confirms Human Exposure to Bisphenol A in the United States is Far Below Safe Limits - November 1, 2007
Sound Science Prevails in Review of Bisphenol A - August 8, 2007
Myths? Scare tactics? Safe?
Like I said yesterday, these arguments sound a lot like those that came from big tobacco in the 80s and 90s.
I’ve been most concerned about baby bottles and soothers and dishes with this news. But sports bottles and home water coolers are also affected. Yes, home water cooler jugs. The big ones where you get home delivery? Look at the number on the bottom.
A key to whether a bottle contains BPA can be found in the recycling number at the bottom of the bottle or on a label. Most drink containers sold in stores have the number “1″, recommended for one-time use only. Containers considered toxin-free include number “2″ high-density polyethylene (HDPE), number “4″ low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and number “5″ polypropylene (PP).However, baby bottles, many drinking cups and polycarbonate bottles marked with recycle number “7″ contain BPA. Many oversized bottles used for home and office water coolers — including those from Canadian Springs — are made of the “7″ variety.
Calls to a half-dozen water companies that deliver to B.C. homes and offices, including Canadian Springs, were not returned Thursday. [source]
But not all water cooler jugs are bad, a Winnipeg company makes them BPA free, and theyve seen a boom in sales this year.
If you’re not willing to take chances with your life, or the life of your children, have a read of this earlier posting to find out companies that produce BPA free products and other steps you can take to be safe.
The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?
Entries (RSS)
Another great post on this topic. Thanks for making it clear Buzz!!!
great post! I’ll be passing along the info!
Just a point to consider, but my innate distrust of the Conservatives’ ability to pass any legislation without an economic benefit led me to do some basic investigation as to Canada’s leadership role in this “importation” ban.
It’s interesting to note that the move to either aluminum or stainless steel would have major positive effects for Canada’s mining industry… not to mention Ontario’s… Where Tony Clement (remember how committed he was during the SARS crisis) is from and where the Conservative need support.
Just a thought.
Okay, I’ll take that as food for though, Richard.. BUT .. BUT .. that’s taking a conspiracy theory a little TOO far.
I hate the Cons as well….BUT.. this is one for the kids, not the miners.
And comparing the bottle manufacturers to “Big Tobacco” isn’t?
Tobacco companies lie/have lied to consumers for decades.
Even with the announcements that the bottle manufacturers are going to stop producing BPA products, they insist it is “safe.”
Plastics companies lying about their products safety is exactly what big tobacco has done for decades.
THAT my friend, is a direct and reasonable analogy.
Actually the analogy falls apart at the statement about bottle companies stopping production - big tobacco has never tried that. And really big tobacco is not alone in their lying o protect their profits… hello oil, hello land developers, hello medicine etc…
And honestly, the protestations about the safety of plastics are so varied and becoming increasingly shrill that I’m afraid that the whole topic is falling into a fundamentalist style debate.
The dangers of plastics is nothing new, we avoided them for our kids because of the ability they have for holding bacteria and breaking down when heated. I’ve read nothing recently about using plastic bottles that surprised me. And personally I don’t care if the plastic bottle industry collapses (one less product from China), but I think this debate needs to be reasoned as we move forward.
The Globe and Mail ran an excellent piece on farmed fish about three weeks back by an environmental professor from UVic. It absolutely opened my eyes to how foolishly and unquestioningly I had followed the rhetoric of groups I aligned with. I highly recommend it as a read.
[...] Federal Government is taking steps to have BPA declared a dangerous substance. There are alternatives to make plastics without it, what about cans? Can we can tomatoes, corn, [...]
[...] Same with VANOC. The Vancouver Olympic Committee oversees the release of souvenirs and confirms use of the official Olympic symbols. Canadian Tire has some water bottles with the official Vancouver Olympic logo on the side, heck they’ve got them on the official Olympic website too, and … a number 7 on the bottom. That means, the Vancouver Olympic Committee is endorsing products in direct ignorance of the Federal Government’s recent declaration that BPA is a toxic substance. [...]