Beverage bottlers waiting for word on bisphenol A Beverage, waiting, bisphenol, bottlers, word

布小熊

Vancouver Sun; with Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, April 18, 2008
Although growing numbers of Canadian retailers are pulling plastic water bottles and baby bottles that contain the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from their shelves, the beverage industry is generally in a holding pattern until Health Canada officially deems the chemical unsafe.

"It's very difficult to comment on speculation," said Elizabeth Griswold, executive director of the Canadian Bottled Water Association. "Health Canada has not released any official report on the chemical, to this point. It has conducted periodic reviews of BPA for years, and we are confident it will again conclude that polycarbonate water bottles are safe for use."

On Thursday, Sears Canada, Rexall Pharmacies, London Drugs and Home Depot Canada became the latest companies to pull products made with BPA from their shelves. Their actions followed voluntary removals by sporting goods retailer The Forzani Group and by Hudson's Bay Co., Canadian Tire Corp., Wal-Mart Canada and Home Depot. Many retailers have said they would give refunds to customers who had bought bottles containing BPA at their stores.

The retail giants are acting in anticipation of an announcement from Health Canada. They are expecting the synthetic chemical compound to be labelled a toxic substance.

The concern stems from reports that recyclable plastic water bottles may leach BPA into the water. BPA is a xenoestrogen, an endocrine disruptor that mimics the female hormone estrogen and has been linked to breast cancer in women, decreased testosterone in men, and developmental problems in children.

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. Two companies that did respond, Whistler Water and Alberta-based Arctic Chiller, don't use BPA bottles.

"We use the '1' PET bottles, which do not have bisphenol A," said Chris Dagenais, spokesman for Whistler Water. "We agree that water bottles are for single use, and the '1' bottles are the most viable plastic for recycling."

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement said Wednesday that there is no need for retailers to assume the role of regulator when it comes to deciding which products are safe for sale in Canada.

"Retailers make their own decisions based on what they think will sell and won't sell, so I'm not going to tell them how to run their businesses. I'm concerned about the health and safety of Canadians, and when we have something to announce, we'll announce it."

Companies that have carried out voluntary removals, he added, are "saying to others that the market for these [BPA] products is drying up pretty quickly. So, listen, if it's a market-based decision, that's for them to make."

http://www.canada.com/vancouvers ... d-8526-bef65dc6a8b1

also reported on Richmond Review:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richm ... /news/17926179.html

[ 本帖最後由 布小熊 於 2008-4-18 16:48 編輯 ]