Canada first to label bisphenol A as officially dangerous

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Canada first to label bisphenol A as officially dangerous

 

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Would pave way for a federal ban

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

 

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

April 15, 2008 at 2:30 AM EDT

 

Health Canada is calling bisphenol A a dangerous substance, making it the

first regulatory body in the world to reach such a determination and taking the

initial step toward measures to control exposures to it.

 

Although the government won't announce specific bans or restrictions, the

designation as dangerous could pave the way for the hormonally active chemical

to be listed as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which

would allow Health Minister Tony Clement to issue specific measures to curb

its use.

 

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in

modern industry. It is the basic building block for polycarbonate, the

see-through, shatter-proof plastic that resembles glass, and is also used to

make

the epoxy resins lining the insides of most tin cans, along with some dental

sealants, sports helmets, and compact discs.

 

Experts are worried about BPA in food and beverage containers. Products such

as CDs aren't considered a problem.

 

Related Articles From the archives

 

Studies that support use of bisphenol A called into question Are

alternatives any safer than plastics? Bottles with bisphenol A still under

review Test

results fuel boom in sales of bisphenol A-free baby bottles Three major baby

bottle brands leach chemical Boiling water spikes bisphenol A levels Infant

bottles, rates of bisphenol A being investigated

 

“Bisphenol A is in every Canadian home. It threatens the health of every

Canadian. Moving against it would be a hugely significant victory for public

health and the environment,†said Rick Smith, executive director of

Environmental Defence, a group that has been campaigning for a ban on the

chemical from

food containers.

 

The conclusion by Health Canada that BPA is a possible threat, expected to

be announced as early as Wednesday, will amount to one of the most important

regulatory decisions regarding a single chemical in decades, and will put pr

essure on its counterparts at both the European Union and the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration to reconsider their approval.

 

“If this chemical is listed as toxic [by Health Canada], it will be an

internationally significant decision,†Mr. Smith said.

 

Under Health Canada's regulatory approach, the government department, along

with Environment Canada, is expected later this week to release a draft

assessment indicating that bisphenol A endangers people and the environment.

The

document outlining this finding will be open for a 60-day public comment

period. If no new information is made available through the consultation to

overturn the finding, the government will issue a final report outlining

control

measures within a year.

 

The government had a deadline of mid-May to issue its BPA assessment but is

moving earlier because of intense public interest.

 

The expected announcement will also win the Harper government praise among

environmentalists, who have been harsh critics of the Conservatives' approach

to climate change but will find it hard to criticize groundbreaking action on

a chemical pollutant.

 

U.S. tests have found that more than 90 per cent of the population carries

in their bodies trace residues of the chemical, whose molecular shape allows

it to mimic the female hormone estrogen. Small amounts of BPA can leach from

food and beverage containers during use, such as when they are heated, exposed

to harsh dishwashing chemicals, or contain acidic substances. Health Canada

is testing Canadians' BPA levels, but the results will not be available for

several years.

 

In response to concerns over the safety of BPA, many specialty retailers,

including Mountain Equipment Co-op, have pulled polycarbonate plastic

containers from their stores, and BPA-free bottles are been flying off shelves,

creating shortages. Hudson's Bay Co. announced last month that it had “secured

large quantities†BPA-free baby products, a sign of how quickly even the mass

market has moved against the chemical.

 

Independent researchers in dozens of studies have linked trace BPA exposures

in animal and test-tube experiments to conditions involving hormone

imbalances, including breast and prostate cancer, early puberty and changes in

brain

structure, particularly for exposures during key points of fetal or early

neonatal development.

 

However, industry-funded testing has been unable to confirm these findings.

The trade association representing major manufacturers, the American

Chemistry Council. based in Arlington, Va., submitted two studies to Health

Canada

during its assessment indicating BPA has no harmful effects at low doses.

 

Until now, regulators in other countries have accepted the industry's

assertion that BPA is harmless at the tiny, parts-per-billion type exposures

from

canned food and plastic beverage containers. A part per billion is roughly

equal to one blade of grass on a football field, although natural hormones such

as estrogen are active at far lower concentrations, around a part per

trillion.

 

Polycarbonate is sometimes identified by the recycling industry's symbol of

the number seven inside a triangle, with the letters PC nearby.

 

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