Plastic Chemical BPA Declared Toxic In Canada 168
Julie188 writes "The Canadian government has formally declared bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used to create clear, hard plastics, as well as food can liners, to be a toxic substance. Does this mean that you'll be tackled by the Canadian Mounties if you stroll around with some bottled water? Not exactly. Being a toxic chemical doesn't mean you can't get a little love. The government will at first try and set limits on how much BPA can be released into the air or water by factories that use the compound."
The rest of the world needs to follow suit (Score:5, Informative)
Re:But asbestos is fine! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Glass Brita Pitcher!? (Score:5, Informative)
I hope Brita comes out with a glass pitcher...
I'm pretty certain they'll come out with a BPA-free plastic version instead, since that's all the rage in bottles and food containers for infants.
Personally, I'd be happy to have a world free of BPA. Unfortunately, that's going to be very difficult as it's found in many common items. For some, there are plastics that are good alternatives, but others, it will be some time before alternates can be found. In particular, epoxy binders used wood-based sheet goods production (particle board, chip board, flooring, etc.) are bad and are going to be around for a long time since there is so much of it installed.
My family and I have stopped eating anything that comes in a can. Not only are cans typically lined with BPA-bearing plastics, but the contents are in intimate contact for a very long time. Avoiding canned foods has been pretty easy with one exception: canned tomatoes. If anyone has a good solution for those, I'd love to hear it.
Being a father with a paranoid mother... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Being a father with a paranoid mother... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Being a father with a paranoid mother... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Glass Brita Pitcher!? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:But asbestos is fine! (Score:5, Informative)
Not exactly. Asbestos particles, when inhaled chronically, lead to mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is not lung cancer; it is a cancer of the pleura which cover the lungs. Asbestos particles, because of their form and other characteristics are especially capable of piercing the alveoli and reaching the pleura. Asbestos particles are only 3,000-20,000 nm long, and only 10 nm in diameter (a human hair is 17,000-180,000 nm in diameter; a red blood cell is 8,000 nm in diameter). Only rarely does exposure to any other substance lead to mesothelioma. Smoking, and exposure to other types of particulates, preponderantly leads to forms of lung cancer rather than mesothelioma.
Re:Thermal Receipts have the most BPA (Score:1, Informative)
Not all.
Some, notably from Appleton Papers, contains BP-S, another form of Bisphenol without the complications.
Re:Thermal Receipts have the most BPA (Score:3, Informative)
But you touch it, and then eat with your hands without washing them because hey it's just a receipt. If the concentration is high enough, this can matter.