Canada Declares BPA to be Toxic

The government of Canada formally declared bisphenol A (BPA) to be a toxic substance on Wednesday. Go Canada! The chemical commonly used to strengthen clear, hard plastics, and food can liners has been shown of to disrupt the hormone systems of animals, and had been found to be highly prevalent in humans. The compound was formally listed as being toxic to both the environment and human health in an official notice published online by the government.

Known as an endocrine disruptor (chemicals that can act like hormones), studies show that BPA can mimic the female hormone estrogen. In 2009 the scientific group, the Endocrine Society, published a 34-page report stating strong evidence of ill health effects from endocrine disruptors, including harm to the reproductive system, causing malformations, infertility and cancer.

In the United States, a handful of states have banned BPA in children’s products–but on the federal level there has been no action. There has been an exceedingly rigorous lobbying effort on behalf of the chemical industry, both in Canada and the U.S., so it is no surprise that the Canadian decision was condemned by the American Chemical Council. “Environment Canada’s announcement is contrary to the weight of worldwide scientific evidence, unwarranted and will unnecessarily confuse and alarm the public,” Steven G. Hentges, who leads the polycarbonate and BPA group at the council, said in a statement. And lord knows we wouldn’t want to be alarmed by a commonly-used, highly-suspicious toxin found present in nearly every human blood sample tested!

Hats off to Canada for bucking the industry and following a principle of caution in the name of human and environmental health. Seems like such a simple direction…maybe someday other countries will follow suit.

For more on BPA, read: BPA Wrecks Sex, BPA Found in Surprising Places, Human Exposure to BPA Shockingly High

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Sharon S.

12:14PM PDT on Mar 14, 2012

Thank you...

send a green star

Laura M.

1:27PM PST on Mar 4, 2012

woot

Richard R.

8:48AM PST on Feb 11, 2012

Sorry for the typo. *Anyone* care to join?

8:47AM PST on Feb 11, 2012

Canada may ban BPA, but most of our canned food comes from the U.S. I feel like filing a class action suit against the U.S. government. Anywhere care to join?

Elizabeth M.

1:07PM PST on Feb 10, 2012

I don't know if any follow ups were done since Oct/2010, but as reported in the Canadian Gazette the Order For Adding a Toxic Substance to Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (BPA) has until April 16, 2012 to publish proposed regulations or instruments. So I would like to know just what the final outcome is!!! Just because they say they are going to ban a toxic substance does not mean to me that they have actually changed anything.

Past Member .

6:56PM PDT on Sep 23, 2011

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Priscilla G.

6:12AM PST on Dec 24, 2010

This is a good step thankyou Canada, hope other countries follow their example

Robert O.

8:33PM PST on Dec 20, 2010

Good for them.

Fran B.

7:22PM PST on Dec 20, 2010

I am so happy for this. I wish very much that the US would follow suit.

Kelli P.

6:51AM PST on Dec 13, 2010

Speaking as a Canadian, our government is far from worthy of all your shouts for joy. BPA has known to be estrogenic since the 1930's, and both Canada and the USA have voiced concerns over the neurological effects to fetal and infant brains for some time. Large scale damage has been done to the human population, while they played with lab mice and ignored the dramatic findings. Doesn't it make you wonder what else they aren't telling you!