London Drugs is taking back ALL bottles made with BPA. No.questions.asked. You get a gift card in amount of the FULL retail price.
A pal of mine told me about the program and Jen had heard about it too. She took ALL of our Avent bottles back, the nipples, the soothers, the microwave sterilizer. ALL OF IT. In the end, Jen walked out with a $200 store credit.
The guy at the Customer Service counter was apologizing to Jen for them having sold the stuff in the first place.
“London Drugs has been educating customers about the dangers of BPA since
January,” said Wynne Powell, president of London Drugs. “When we learned of
the possible risks from BPA, we immediately started purchasing BPA-free
products and providing customers with information to help them make an
informed choice when purchasing products like plastic baby bottles and sippy
cups. As concern continued to mount around BPA earlier this week, we
immediately removed all baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, and select food
containers and water bottles containing BPA from our store shelves. Our
customer service specialists in our stores and at our head office in Richmond
are available to answer our customers’ questions and provide information on
these BPA alternatives.” [source]
We didnt buy our bottles from London Drugs, they were given as gifts at showers etc, but LD took them back.
They’ll also take back your stanky Nalgene bottles too.
Amazing. Congratulations. Way to go.
BTW, London Drugs sells BornFree, a brand of plastic bottles made WITHOUT BPA. We switched Z over to them this week and he has had no issues with the new nipples etc. Guess what we’re getting with our $200 gift card from London Drugs??
Thank you London Drugs. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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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]
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]
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.
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Want to know why so many young girls are entering puberty around 10, when it used to be around 13 or 14? Want to know why so many teen boys can grow a full beard in Grade 10, when I could barely get peach fuzz?
Baby bottles. Specifically, plastic baby bottles laced with Bisphenol A (BPA). [wikipedia]
They’re cute, they’re convenient, and they’re poisoning our children.
Retailers are making sweeping changes today in advance of Health Canada declaring BPA as a dangerous chemical. A dangerous chemical that appears in everything from infant food containers to compact discs. [source]
It has now been linked to early onset puberty in children and breast cancer and prostate cancer in adults.
Health Canada is expected to issue a risk assessment this week that BPA is a potentially dangerous chemical, a move that could lead to some restrictions in its use, particularly for consumer applications that are likely to come into direct contact with foods or beverages.
The action by the Canadian government would be the first by any country to label the chemical used for decades in everything from baby bottles and the lacquer linings inside tin cans to dental sealants a possible health hazard. [blockquote]
Avent, a leading manufacturer of baby bottles, tows the company line when asked if their bottles contain harmful levels of BPA by only saying their products meet government standards. Well, the government standards are about to change, and those bottles, in fact, DO contain BPA.
DO YOUR BOTTLES CONTAIN BPA?
Look at the recycle number on the bottom. 1, 2, 4 and 5 are better. 3, 6 and 7 are bad. [source]
The Zrecs blog is fabulous. It has a lot more info to help you find other safe products. Back in February, they wrote the Z Report on BPA which includes this list of companies who produce BPA-free products:
Adiri | Baby Bjorn | Baby Cie | Babylife (Wee-go) | BFree | Born Free | Brita | Combi | DCI | Ezee Reach | Emily Green | Green to Grow | iPlay | Kidbasix | KidCo | Klean Kanteen | Medela | Mother’s Milkmate | Mud Pie Baby | Not Neutral | Nurture Pure | Obentec | ORE Originals | Prince Lionheart | Rivadossi Sandro (Trebimbi) | SIGG | Silikids | Skip*Hop | Steadyco | Thermos | thinkbaby [source]
ZRecs also has a text service where you can text Zrecs and the company name to 69866 and they will text back with BPA info on that company.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO?
First off, learn as much as you can about BPA. Then, go through your cupboards and get rid of everything that might be hurting you, and your family.
One of the first things we did last week was switch up Z’s water bottle. We picked up a Sigg bottle made of aluminum from Whole Foods. Expensive as hell, but safe for Z.
There have been rumblings about this chemical for years, but many disagreements between the studies. But look deeper as to why the studies disagreed.
Dozens of studies by independent researchers have linked low exposure to BPA in animal and test-tube experiments to illnesses, such as cancer, that are thought to have an origin in hormone imbalances, although industry-funded studies haven’t been able to find the same effects. [source]
Arm yourself with knowledge and make changes in your lifestyle. For your health. For the health of your children.
# Limit your use of canned goods or choose canned foods from makers who don’t use it, such as Eden Foods
# Learn how to cook your own foods that you typically buy in cans — like beans or chickpeas
# Choose soups, milk and soy milk packaged in cardboard “brick” cartons, by Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc, with safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene (#2) that can also be recycled
# Use glass food storage containers instead of plastic
# Use glass baby bottles or plastic bag inserts made of polyethyelene, or switch to non-clear polypropylene bottles that are labeled with recycle #5
# Don’t buy canned infant formula
# Eat fresh foods in season to reduce your consumption of canned goods
# Buy or can your own foods in safe glass jars
# Stop using plastic wrap and plastic containers to heat food in microwaves. Ceramic and glass are better
# Throw out any old and scratched plastic bottles or plastic containers
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So we’ve been back for a week now, and have had to time to sit back and look at how our overseas adventures with a 10 month old went. Some thought we were crazy packing 2 suitcases, 2 knapsacks, a stroller, a carseat and a baby on a plane, through subways and around western France. Yes, it was a challenge at times, but, you know what? It really wasn’t that bad.
Here’s what we did right, and what we did wrong:
Bring only enough food to cover your plane trip, you can pick up the rest at markets in Paris. Yes, its a little more expensive, but the selection and quality are light years ahead of home.
Get out of the city. Accomodations are cheaper in the smaller towns. Life is more relaxed, and it’s more like staying at a home than in a hotel. We could do laundry, dishes, cook meals and share common areas giving Z much more space to roam than if we were in a 150sq ft bunker somewhere in the 1st Arr.
Once you’re in the campagne, use the rest stops - the cleaning stations at the rest areas are fabulous. The gas stations are usually paired with easy restos to feed you, and the bathrooms are totally tricked out for babies. They have stuffed animals to play with, they have huge sinks, padded change tables, and, as Jen says, were obviously designed by a mother.
Dont be afraid to ask to have food heated. EVERYONE has a microwave and is more than willing to help. Brasseries in the middle of Paris will gladly pour you a $5 coffee and run to the back to heat up some turkey stew for your baby - but be warned, they have some pretty powerful machines over there. Less than 30s is PLENTY to heat up your baby’s snack.
If you’re spending any time in Paris, get ready to do some heavy lifting when you take the metro. There are a few escalators, a lot of stairs and no elevators. To get from the street down to the station, you’ll need to carry your stroller up many flights of stairs and through a few tricky gates. The station attendants are happy to open up big doors to get you into the station, but you’re on your own dealing with the stairs. Bring a collapsable stroller and a Baby Bjorn type of carrier. Keep the baby in the Bjorn through the stations, and use the stroller when you’re up on the streets.
If you can double date - do it. I wish we would have gone with another couple, and for our next big vacation, we will. It would have been nice to have been able to experience some french nightlife, but with his feeding, bath and bedtime starting at 530 … we ended up grabbing plats a emporter, or salads and baguette from the marche and spent all our evenings inside, early.
That said, the self catering became necessary and we saved HUNDREDS by not eating at restos every night. For less than 20 Euros, we could get 2 salads, baguette, cheese, some sliced chorizo, a BOTTLE of wine, some dessert and water. Eat in a bistro and you’re looking at that much for one plat, dessert, entree combo.
Take a cab home to the airport. We took the train into town when we landed.
hauled the stroller, car seat, 2 knapsacks, 2 luggages, purse and baby, up and down stairs, on and off metros and the like. When we got out of town, we took a cab to the train station. When we came home, we looked at each other, counted up all the money we’d saved by being in our room each night at 5, and we bucked up for a cab.
Yes, it was 50 Euros ($80) to get from the 5th to CDG, but it took 1/3 the time and had 5% of the stress. It was the absolute best 50 we spent all trip.
Off season travelling is sooooo much easier. March and April are PERFECT months for wandering France, or, I’m guessing, any part of Europe. The rates are cheaper and the service is better. Yes, it was a little chilly at night, and it rained a few days, but have a look at this lunch in Blois. We had the entire.plaza.to.ourselves. Try that in August. Same in Chambord. Not one single person spoiling our pictures of the Chateau - try doing that when the parking lot is full of tour busses in July.
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Weather is a little unpredictable, sure. But the crowds aren’t. They’re no.where.
Today it was sunny, showering, cloudy and about 13 degrees. This is a cafe across the square from the chateau in Blois. It’s written up in many guidebooks.
This was us at lunch today.
Same thing happened at Chambord. I should not have been able to take 15 photos like this with nobody cluttering my view of the chateau. This picture was taken at 4 in the afternoon. Personne is in it. Couldnt do that in August.
Come to France in the spring - c’est magnifique!
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When the VCR came out, the forecasters said Hollywood was dead. Why would we go to the movies, when we can watch them at home?
Well, 20 years on, we’re still going to the movies. Actually, box office records are being set. Even with the advent of big screen tvs, and home theatre sound, and high definition quality, we’re still going to the movies. Yes, internet piracy cuts into the bottom line a bit, but it’s the personality of the place is what we love. The smells, the tastes, the big comfy chairs. So we go back.
Many thought satellite radio would kill the traditional broadcast model when it was launched. Hundreds of channels, continent wide, no commercials? That will kill the local morning zoo for certain, but it hasn’t. In fact it’s struggled. Long haul truckers and those in remote regions are fans of the service, but in the big cities, radio is doing fine.
But with one hypothetical press announcement this week, it could all change. Hollywood weathered the VCR, but can radio make it past the iPod?
Apple is in discussions with the big music companies about a radical new business model that would give customers free access to its entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its iPod and iPhone devices.
The “all you can eat” model, a replica of Nokia’s “comes with music” deal with Universal Music last December, could provide the struggling recorded music industry with a much-needed fillip, and drive demand for a new generation of Apple’s hardware. [SOURCE]
All your music whenever you want - for “free”? Wait, isn’t that what radio does?
No.
As one chain is famous for boasting, radio plays “what we want.” As in, the station, not the listeners. If you feel like Jack Johnson, your iPod can do that now, the radio might have a format that’s “like” Jack Johnson, but they’re not playing him right now.
Want some Ella? Well, the standards smooth jazz station might be playing Ella this morning, then again, they might be in their John Tesh, Kenny G megamix hour.
Radio can’t win this fight on music alone. Once the WiFi abilities of the iPod Touch and iPhone are more widespread across the platform, you won’t even have to wait to sync your iPod at home to get your music. If you want to have a Megadeth marathon while waiting in line at Starbucks, you can get it with a few clicks.
This idea, if it happens, could effectively nail the coffin shut on radio. If more manufacturers put plugs in cars to attach iPods, all music radio could be obsolete within a decade.
Which should not be taken as a eulogy, but rather as a challenge to step up the personality on the air - an iPod may have all the music ever made, but it has ZERO personality.
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I’ve never really understood the union movement. To be honest, I think it rewards longevity over initiative. If you’ve been punching the clock the longest, you’re in line for the promotion, regardless of how slack your work ethic has become. And if you do get lazy, good luck getting fired, because it will get grieved and nothing will happen.
We all get complacent and comfortable in our jobs. Look at the Canucks. Who puts in more effort Ryan Shannon or Markus Naslund? Ryan is at the bottom, fighting to keep his spot, while Nazzy’s been doing it for 15 years, has millions in the bank and can get by without “really trying.”
I get why unions came into existence, but I think in 2008, they stifle innovation and creativity.
Actually, you don’t have to be in a union to have that happen. The way of the webbed world is passing many a media veteran by, and those who understand how to work in this new media are quickly replacing those who were more comfortable editing their copy on an Underwood than with Google Docs.
After 32 years of writing sports for the San Berdardino Sun, Paul Oberjuerge was let go. And instead of bitching and moaning and whining …. Okay, there is a bit of bitching and whining and bitterness in his original list, I’ve cut it down to the stuff I think is relevant.
Embrace the web. It’s going to be extra work, and you’re going to be on your own 24-hour news/opinion cycle. But that’s how it is; you can rest up when you’re dead. Management is keenly aware of the foot-draggers on this front.
Don’t wait to be ordered to “serve other platforms” of the paper. Volunteer. Blog. Post photos. Consider video. Offer podcasts. Do web-only quick-and-dirty news stories. You’re a multi-media machine now!
Go to staff meetings. Speak up. Volunteer ideas.
Produce. This is no time to coast. This is no time to insist you have more time to work on a story. Even at the metros. Get your byline in the newspaper at every opportunity. Like, daily.
Achieve excellence. Five years ago I would have listed this first. Now, it barely makes the list. Competence is a defense, but it no longer is first, second, third or ninth. But, all things being equal, if the cut is between you and someone else who is just as fat and bitchy as you are … the person who is better at their job will survive. (Till next time.)
I’ve been on about how radio needs to change the way it thinks and approaches new media. Right now those in print are feeling the pinch, radio could will be next.
Those tips were written by a print guy trying to tell other print guys how to diversify and save their ass. He could also have been writing it for everyone in radio on how to save the industry.
If you’re on air, and not doing the things above, you’re not just hurting your career, you’re hurting the industry. We need people to take initiative, have fresh ideas, and new ways of thinking.
Punching the clock simply won’t cut it anymore.
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I had a chat with Wendy Rombough this week. She’s a photographer brought in by HP to show off their new Photosmart Studio Kiosks. You can print off pro styled photo books, calendars, cards and prints, in about an hour. The first kiosk is in Lougheed Mall.
Wendy also took some time to serve up photo tips for Spring Break. She’s a baby and kid photographer, has 2 of her own, and knows what to look for to get a great shot.
1. TURN OFF YOUR FLASH
If you love the way things look when you’re using your eyes, adding the flash will just wash things out. Instead of flashing, bump up the ISO on your camera.
2. LET THE KIDS BE KIDS
Get reactions from the kids, don’t pose them. If you want a big smile, have them goof off and make funny faces, then capture them laughing at themselves
3. GET TO THEIR LEVEL
They’ll be more comfortable (you may not be) when you’re on their level instead of shooting down on them.
4. ZOOM YOUR BODY, NOT YOUR LENS
Your body can move a lot faster than your camera can, so follow the kids around and don’t worry so much how you frame the pictures, you can always tighten up or crop a shot afterwards.
5. THE RULE OF THREE
When you’re managing your pictures afterwards, leave room in the frame for the subject to lead the shot. The rule of three divides the frame into thirds horizontally, and vertically. Try and get the main part of the image on one of the cross points.
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Be afraid. Be very afraid.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO?
Once you’re in the campagne, use the rest stops - the cleaning stations at the rest areas are fabulous. The gas stations are usually paired with easy restos to feed you, and the bathrooms are totally tricked out for babies. They have stuffed animals to play with, they have huge sinks, padded change tables, and, as Jen says, were obviously designed by a mother.
If you can double date - do it. I wish we would have gone with another couple, and for our next big vacation, we will. It would have been nice to have been able to experience some french nightlife, but with his feeding, bath and bedtime starting at 530 … we ended up grabbing plats a emporter, or salads and baguette from the marche and spent all our evenings inside, early.
Off season travelling is sooooo much easier. March and April are PERFECT months for wandering France, or, I’m guessing, any part of Europe. The rates are cheaper and the service is better. Yes, it was a little chilly at night, and it rained a few days, but have a look at this lunch in Blois. We had the entire.plaza.to.ourselves. Try that in August. Same in Chambord. Not one single person spoiling our pictures of the Chateau - try doing that when the parking lot is full of tour busses in July.
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