CANADA takes lead in declaring bisphenol A toxic

18.apr.08
Globe and Mail
Martin Mittelstaedt

In one of the most significant regulatory actions in decades, Canada is poised to become the first country in the world to list bisphenol A as a toxic substance and ban the use of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles made of the controversial material.
It also intends to tell baby food manufacturers to reduce the amounts of it leaching from the linings of infant formula cans.
Health Minister Tony Clement announced the steps yesterday, saying current exposures to the chemical, while small, don't provide enough of a safety margin for babies and infants up to 18 months old, placing them at possible risk of developmental or neurological problems.
Although the government doesn't expect to formally ban polycarbonate baby bottles for another year, the use of the product is coming to a rapid end in Canada anyway. Throughout the week, retailers across the country took the nearly unprecedented step of stripping their shelves of polycarbonate bottles used by infants and adults in the face of overwhelming consumer rejection of the product.
Canada on its own has never taken an international lead to ban the use of controversial substances. The move against bisphenol A, which is able to mimic the female hormone estrogen, is being compared with decisions made by the United States and other countries more than 30 years ago to curb the use of the insecticide DDT - the first major chemical challenged on public health and environmental grounds.
Bisphenol A is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in the world, with industry able to produce about three billion kilograms annually, although none is made in Canada.