BPA Free Baby Bottles will soon be Required in Canada

The Government in Canada is drafting regulations which will ban the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, in baby bottles due to concerns about the potential adverse health effects it may pose to infants.

Bisphenol-A is a chemical that is frequently used in the manufacture of plastic consumer products to make the plastic hard and shatterproof. It is commonly found in polycarbonate baby bottles, water bottles, food containers, soda cans and other products.

Reports have suggested that exposure to BPA could cause harm to the immune, reproductive and neurological systems of young children, as trace amounts of the chemical in baby bottles and sippy cups could leach into the liquid.

Health Canada, which is a regulatory agency for the Canadian government, has been looking at the health risks posed by the chemical, and particularly the impact of BPA on newborns and infants. According to a statement released October 17, 2008, the agency determined that the main source of exposure for babies is from BPA baby bottles.

The Government of Canada announced that they will enact regulations that will prohibit the importation, sale and advertising of BPA baby bottles. They will also draft regulations that will limit the amount of BPA being released into the environment.

“The scientists concluded in this assessment that bisphenol A exposure to newborns and infants is below levels that cause effects; however, due to the uncertainty raised in some studies relating to the potential effects of low levels of bisphenol A, the Government of Canada is taking action to enhance the protection of infants and young children,” wrote Health Canada in a press release posted on their website over the weekend.

Concerns about the safety of BPA in baby bottles have also received a lot of attention in the United States in recent weeks. Although the FDA has taken the position that the levels of BPA in baby bottles do not pose a health risk, other government agencies have indicated that they have “some concern” and have called for additional studies.

Last week, attorney generals from several states sent a letter to the manufacturers of infant products asking that they voluntarily transition to BPA free baby bottles, since the FDA has refused to move to ban the plastic bottle chemical.

A BPA baby bottle class action lawsuit is also pending against Playtex, Avent America Inc., Evenflo Co., Handicraft Co. and Gerber Novartis, alleging that they have failed to adequately disclose the risks associated with the polycarbonate baby bottles with BPA that they have sold.