Bisphenol A controversy resurfaces, chemistry association reacts

The ongoing conflict over the effects of bisphenol A — a chemical used in the production of polycarbonate plastic products — escalated this week after an environmental activist group claimed that the chemical leaches from popular plastic baby bottles.

Environmental Defence, a group that has previously lobbied the Ontario government to act on bisphenol A, released a study entitled Toxic Baby Bottles in Canada: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Brands of Polycarbonate Baby Bottles. The group claims that significant levels of bisphenol A leached from popular brands of plastic baby bottles when they were heated.

“Clearly, we are putting our babies’ health at risk by using brand name plastic baby bottles,” said the group’s executive director. “The federal government must act immediately banning bisphenol A from baby bottles and other food and beverage containers.”

On February 5 — two days before the Environmental Defence study was released — the American Chemistry Council announced that another plastic baby bottle scare was about to hit the news. ACC said that before jumping to conclusions, people should note that the published findings by world-renowned experts support the safety of products with bisphenol A.

“Polycarbonate baby bottles have been safely used for decades and the extensive scientific evidence supporting the safety of these products has been evaluated by many independent scientific and government bodies worldwide,” said Steve Hentges of the ACC’s Polycarbonate/BPA Group. “The data now available from recent safety studies provides additional strong support for the continued safe use of polycarbonate bottles.”

A full fact sheet from the ACC can be found on the CPIA website. You can also read more about the industry’s response in our exclusive Q&A with ACC’s Hentges.