Tech | August 26, 2010 | 28 comments

In historic move, Canada to list BPA as ‘toxic’

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JanforGore
Canada is in the process of a historic move to add bisphenol-A to its list of toxic substances, Environment Canada confirmed Wednesday.

The chemical used in making plastic has become increasingly controversial since Ottawa promised two years ago it would designate it a toxic substance. Its estrogen-like effects are suspected of creating havoc with hormone levels.

The government did ban the sale of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles that contain bisphenol-A in 2008. But any further action has been challenged fiercely by the chemical industry.

The American Chemistry Council demanded a review of the proposed toxic listing last year, saying otherwise Canada would have “pandered to emotional zealots.”

Declaring BPA toxic would not be “based on the best available data and scientific knowledge,” ACC executive director Steven Hentges said in a letter to Environment Canada.

Minister Jim Prentice rejected the council’s demands for a board of review.

“I am of the view that your notice does not bring forth any new scientific data or information,” he said in a response dated July 27 of this year

Once a notice is published in the Canada Gazette, Prentice told Hentges, there will be more opportunity to comment or object.

Last week, Statistics Canada disclosed that 91 per cent of people tested positive for BPA in their urine, with higher levels for children aged 6 to 11 than for adults over 40. The highest concentrations were in children.

The chemical can leach into food from tin-can linings, plastic food covers and water bottles. Used to harden plastic, it is found in hundreds of household items, including CD liners and, most recently, sales receipts.

Canada had been the first country in the world to declare that it intended to label BPA a toxic substance. Even now, the action would have international resonance.

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28 comments // In historic move, Canada to list BPA as ‘toxic’

  • CalPal
  • div
  • QuestionGeek
    • +3
      QuestionGeek  
    • At least Canada is doing something. A lot of people in USA are ignorant and don't seem to care about any of this stuff. From Austism to Obesity. It's all preventable

      When I was in Italy two years ago, their food tasted so delicious and different, it was almost overwhelming and like sex. The flavors just bursted out of the produce. All their food tastes pure

    • 1 year ago
  • div
    • +1
      div  
    • QuestionGeek:

      it's all the fresh food they use by the Mediterranean. I went to Cyprus just a while back and I agree completely. They don't do things halfway. No frozen, processed crap for them!

    • 1 year ago
  • QuestionGeek
    • 0
      QuestionGeek  
    • div:

      Then why do we do things half way? We're much worse than "half way". They don't need to be putting high fructose corn syrup and msg in everything. The argument that MSG causes people to eat more is stupid. Hmm, my waist is 32" and i'm 6'1" Apparently I eat a lot????? I don't eat more food when I eat MSG. It's just something they put in food to make us sick. Eating more has nothing to do with it.

    • 1 year ago
  • NiceN
  • mitekillem
    • +4
      mitekillem  
    • BSP-A is used to harden plastics. It's used in a lot of items. Probably even this keyboard I'm typing on. It's been questionable since the 1930's...can you believe that?
      And someone just now says, it's officially toxic.

      We may as well be poisoning ourselves with lead or asbestos.

    • 1 year ago
  • s_peak
    • +3
      s_peak  
    • mitekillem:

      "We may as well be poisoning ourselves with lead or asbestos."

      Well... we do that too. Also mercury, cadmium, arsenic, etc.

      It's about damn time someone called bullshit on BPA. I think we could do without ALL plastics, personally... But America will probably never make BPA illegal. There's too much interest in petroleum companies.

    • 1 year ago
  • Kurta
    • +1
      Kurta  
    • s_peak:

      I couldn't have said it better myself! We may not be able to live without ALL plastics but we certainly don't need as much as we use. When I work my 2nd job, I often get really disgusted at all of the wasted plastics that are used in packaging. They serve a single purpose: they get the product from the factory to the store and then go straight into a landfill. And damn, if we don't throw a lot of it out every day. Dispicable. I feel guilty every day for being part of that problem but I don't think the company would consider my protests. After all, it didn't work for the glue traps that I steal, bag, and throw away every few days. Heh, wonder when they'll figure that one out!

    • 1 year ago
  • controlusplease
  • im1mjrpain
    • -1
      im1mjrpain  
    • Young girls and even babies are now going into puberty as a result of milk laced with hormones, Bisphenol A and a toxic cocktail of other ingested substances.

      Vaccines are also contributing to a massive and sustained chemical attack on free humanity as the globalists’ eugenics agenda goes into high gear.

    • 1 year ago
  • TommyTooThumbs
  • im1mjrpain
    • +3
      im1mjrpain  
    • Good for Canada! In the U.S. we are being poisoned in so many ways it would make your head spin if you knew them all. GMO foods, fluoride in the water, BPA, chemtrails, artificial sweetners, aspartame, tobacco, cancer causing high fructose corn syrup...... (deep breath) should I go on?

    • 1 year ago
  • good_stuff
  • ahappymintleaf
  • s_peak
    • +1
      s_peak  
    • im1mjrpain:

      Fluoride is incredibly toxic and we brush our teeth with it. Long term exposure can cause neurological damage and hardening of the organs, most notably the kidneys, if memory serves.

    • 1 year ago
  • im1mjrpain
    • 0
      im1mjrpain  
    • s_peak:

      From my research it's a cumulative poison that builds up and damages all organs. I don't know about everyone else but I'd rather have cavities then a damaged gall bladder or kidney!

    • 1 year ago
  • im1mjrpain
  • TommyTooThumbs
    • 0
      TommyTooThumbs  
    • im1mjrpain:

      Anything substance can have poisonous effects. Ever had too much caffeine? What about too much water? Yes you can die from water intoxication. To randomly blame health conditions on the chemicals themselves is useless. The blame must be put on the how the chemicals are used.

    • 1 year ago
  • olddogdaddy
    • +3
      olddogdaddy  
    • sounds like the plastics industry in the usa hasn't bought the right congressman and senators.......but they will and our children's children will be poisoned as we and our parents parents have been since the industrial revolution.

      re-construct government!

    • 1 year ago
  • toastyguy11
  • Dagum
  • trut
  • JanforGore
  • trut
    • +3
      trut  
    • JanforGore:

      We get a lot of our food from the states. I hope Environment Canada bans anything coming into Canada that isn't positively BPA free and sues the hell out of any corporations who try to sneak their poison in.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
    • +6
      JanforGore  
    • Canada, doing something right for the environment and health! I think BPA has also been part of why girls are starting puberty earlier because it's messing up their hormones. We need to stand up to these companies poisoning our children. Good riddance to BPA. Hey USA, when will you get the guts to do the right thing for once instead of bowing to industry over our health?

    • 1 year ago
  • im1mjrpain
  • KSirys
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