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Winning the BPA Battle
Natalie Cadranel
Monday, April 21, 2008
Great news! Last Friday, Canada became the first country to ban the harmful chemical, Bisphenol-A from being used in baby bottles. Much of this is due to a recent BPA study by the Work Group for Safe Markets, a coalition of environmental NGO's. The findings of this study have put pressure on U.S. and Canadian governments to ban the chemical. The chemical is said to mimic estrogen and has been linked to various cancers, behavioral disorders, and early onset of puberty in girls.
By David Mcnew -- Getty Images
Due to this legislative ban, companies such as Wal-Mart and reusable sports bottle maker, Nalgene have pledged to stop selling products that use BPA. Retail giant Wal-Mart Canada is pulling all baby products that contain BPA from shelves and said they plan to stop selling them in U.S. stores by early next year. Playtex is offering free non-BPA bottles to customers and said they will stop selling those with BPA by year's end. Nalgene is taking the most responsible route and recalling all products in stores as well as discontinuing production of new bottles containing the harmful chemical.
Tony Clement, Canada's Minister of Health, said "It's pretty clear that the highest risk is for newborns and young infants". Read the entire article in the Washington Post here.
Posted by Natalie Cadranel on 04/22 at 11:05 AM
UPDATE - Toys R Us stated Monday, April 21st, that they will also be phasing out baby products that contain BPA, including baby bottles and other feeding products!