p2pnet news | Products:- Could handling CDs be harmful to your health?

Some (most?) versions of the ubiquitous polycarbonate plastic bottles used by everyone, everywhere, may soon be banned in Canada.

And a component in both the bottles and compact discs, as well as thousands of other products, is bisphenol A, aka BPA.

A US government agency which evaluates harmful substances, “released a draft report linking exposures to BPA to breast cancer and the earlier age of puberty in girls,” says the Globe and Mail, going on:

“The report, by the National Toxicology Program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was issued yesterday and indicates that there is rising concern about BPA at regulatory bodies in both the United States and Canada.

“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.”

Says a 2007 Environmental Health Canada post >>>

Government scientists have labeled BPA as ‘inherently toxic.’ Last year, Environment Canada and Health Canada named BPA one of the 200 chemicals of potentially greatest risk. It is among the first fifteen chemicals up for review in Canada’s chemical management process, which has just gotten underway. The process will require producers of BPA to prove that it is safe.

Environmental Defense Canada has called on the government to ban Bisphenol A immediately. Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director of Environmental Defense argues, ‘The case for a federal ban on this chemical has never been stronger.’ Smith notes that the chemical management process will take years to come to a conclusion about BPA, during which time Canadians will continue to be exposed to it.

Manufacturers of BPA claim it is not harmful at low doses. Although more than 100 independent research studies found low dose exposure to BPA caused serious, long lasting, harmful effects, a dozen industry funded studies found nothing to worry about from low doses of the chemical.

Over a billion tons of BPA are used every year, which makes BPA one of the highest volume chemicals in the world.

Stay tuned.

Slashdot it!

Globe and Mail - Canadian stores race to purge bisphenol A products, April 16, 2008

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 9:42 am and is filed under Product News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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