Plastic Bottle Danger Warning
Posted December 18, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A while back we told you about rising concerns over a potentially harmful chemical that exists inside almost all the water bottles that permeate our society. Well, it appears we’re not alone in those concerns: recently two major national retailers stopped selling plastic water bottles.
The first was Mountain Equipment Co-Op, the second Lululemon Athletica, who have pulled the hard, refillable water containers off their shelves because of a chemical called Bisphenol A.
“This chemical is a known hormone disrupter,” said Environmental Defense Agency‘s RickSmith. “So there are strong links to breast cancer, prostate cancer.”
Health Canada has yet to weigh in on the dangers of the chemical, but environmentalists and business owners alike seem to agree it’s a classic case of better safe than sorry.
“This is what retailers should be doing,” Smith added.
Lululemon issued the following statement from their Vancouver head office with regards to the decision to pull the bottles nationwide:
“Starting in January all new water bottles arriving in our stores will be made of acrylic and be 100 per cent BPA free.”
All the while the plastics industry has maintained small amounts of BPA are completely safe. To keep consumers in the know, plastic items containing the chemical will have the number “7” inside the triangle stamped on the bottom.
Of course this is a debate long from finished, but in the meantime there are safe alternatives including metal bottles and glass ones. And until a final word comes down on this just remember: it’s not only important to watch what you eat, but it’s never a bad idea to keep an eye on what you’re drinking out of.
