Toxic Nation | Pollution. It's In You.

Last October, we posted a blog titled, Beware of BPA When Buying? about the average cash register using BPA-receipt technology (not all cash registers do) having 60 - 100 mg of the substance available and ready for uptake. This may occur through the skin or by being transferred onto food and ingested.

Health Canada testing has found bisphenol A (BPA) in jarred baby food with metal lids and some polycarbonate bottles of drinking water. The compound was detected in 84% of samples.

Following hot on the heels of Canada’s ban, the US federal Congress, along with lawmakers in 24 US states, are working to ban bisphenol A (BPA) in a number of products, from plastic baby bottles to metal food cans. Health studies have linked BPA to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, developmental problems, nerve damage and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer.

Sunoco, a Philadelphia-based gas and chemical company, announced earlier this month they will refuse to sell bisphenol A (BPA) for use in children’s products. They will be the first global manufacturer to act on safety concerns surrounding the controversial chemical.

The company is requiring its customers to guarantee that bisphenol A will not be used in food and beverage containers for children under the age of three. They will not sell the chemical compound to customers unable to meet this requirement.

Two studies published this week in Environmental Health News are giving scientists greater insight into the levels of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in newborns, as well as possible sources and health impacts resulting from the controversial chemical. Both papers conclude that infants, especially those that are premature or under the age of two, are more vulnerable to the effects of BPA exposure.

Canada has declared it a toxin and has banned it in baby bottles, stores have phased it out of their products, and an advisory panel has accused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of ignoring important studies linking it to significant health risks. Now, political representatives are speaking out towards the effective ban of bisphenol A (BPA) in the United States.