On December 7, 2007, Canadian retailer The Mountain Equipment Co-Op removed Nalgene plastic bottles and other polycarbonate containers from its 11 stores until Health Canada completes a review of bisphenol-a, or BPA.

BPA is a chemical commonly used to make plastic water and baby bottles, food and beverage can linings, and dental sealants. Polycarbonate plastic ? used to create transparent bottles that are nearly as hard as glass yet virtually shatter-resistant ? may only be produced using BPA.

According to a spokesman for Mountain Equipment, the company has been keeping tabs on the BPA issue for several years, and simply wants clarification on the health effects of the chemical before deciding whether or not to return products to store shelves. The Nalgene bottles were manufactured by Nalge Nunc International in Rochester, New York, a division of Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Recent church and environmental groups such as Canada’s Environmental Defence have launched concerns and campaigns against the safety of bottled water in Canada. Some critics have concluded that exposure to BPA increases the risk of certain cancers, impedes fertility, and may contribute to childhood behavioral problems such as hyperactivity.

A developmental biologist at the University of Missouri, Dr. Frederick vom Saal, found that BPA mimics naturally occurring estrogen. ?These hormones control the development of the brain, the reproductive system and many other systems in the developing fetus,? said vom Saal.

In 2006, San Francisco’s board of governors passed a local law banning the use of certain chemicals, including BPA, in children?s products. However, BPA was removed from the list before the law became effective ? the result of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the plastics industry.

Although the plastic industry contends that very little of the chemical is released into the bodies of users, the United States Department of Health and Human Services published a 96-page report which found ? ‘negligible concern? about the chemical?s effect on adult reproductive systems but raised some concerns about its impact on children and pregnant women.?

Health Canada is expected to release its first comment related to a current study of BPA in May 2008.

Source: Ian Austen, ?Canadian Retailer Bans Some Plastic Bottles,” New York Times, December 8, 2007;?Bisphenol-a Free?, Bisphenol-a Free.org, retrieved December 10, 2007.