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Written by Gerry Pugliese
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Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a compound used in the production of plastic, making plastics hard, clear, and shatter-proof; commonly used in water bottles. And for that reason BPA has come under fire in recent years. BPA mimics the body's natural hormones, leading to neurological problems. So drinking from a BPA water bottle is essentially a delivery system for the chemical.
And as a result of BPA's nasty reputation, Canada has become the first country to declare BPA as a toxic substance, posing a risk to human health and the health of the environment. Al Gore is smiling.
"The Government of Canada has a strong record of taking action on Bisphenol A to protect the environment and health of Canadians," explains Jim Prentice, Environment Minister for the Canadian Health and Environment Ministries, "We are continuing our leadership on this issue and...working hard to monitor and manage Bisphenol A."
The Canadian Health and Environment Ministries sites research that links Bisphenol A consumption with negative neurodevelopmental and behavioral effects in rodents. So the agency has declared BPA toxic to human health.
Kudos to Canada, but this is a no-brainer. Health experts and environmental advocates have been screaming about BPA for years, even going under review by the Environmental Protection Agency. BPA is bad. It has to go - simple.
In June, a Washington, DC supermarket, fueled by concern over BPA, jettisoned plastic water bottles from its shelves, now offering water filtration machines in stores and allowing shoppers to refill their own bottles.
Image credit: quantum bunny |
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