Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Hazardous chemical found in majority of Canadians

Article clipped from CTV - see source link at bottom of page

Hazardous chemical found in majority of Canadians

Updated: Tue Aug. 17 2010 16:00:52


ctvcalgary.ca

You may be surprised by what you're getting in that can of soup or a bottle of pop.

A new Statistics Canada report shows an overwhelming majority of Canadians have detectable levels of bisphenol A in their bodies.

The chemical is linked to everything from cancer to developmental delays.

The study shows 90 per cent of Canadians ages six to 79 have BPA in their body.

BPA is found in everything from lining of food cans to plastic bottles. It even coats many store receipts.

It no longer appears in items like baby bottles, but it's still in our environment, including tap water in some communities.

And some, including Hamid Habibi with the University of Calgary's Institute of Environmental Toxicology are calling for an outright ban.

"I think steps need to be taken by the government in partnership with the industry to find solutions," says Habibi.

Health Canada has formally declared bisphenol A a hazardous product. (emphasis mine)

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well, it's about time!

Source: CTV

2 comments:

  1. When I became a mom, I began my education about chemicals in earnest. I am thankful we stumbled upon information about bisphenol A pretty early on as far as how often it was (still is?) used in children's products. Thanks for sharing this important information, Rebecca.
    Best,
    Leigh

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  2. I know. It's scary how many people still use plastic, though. And when you think about it, plastics ARE chemicals, any of which may (and DO) leach into our bodies with the food/beverage. Just because ONE of those chemicals has been proven to be dangerous doesn't mean it's the only one of which we should be wary. I avoid all plastics for food and drink storage, period. And I try to avoid canned foods, too. I know that BPA-free cans are available in some places for some food items, but I've never seen those where I shop.

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