Toxic Nation | Pollution. It's In You.

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.

Last month the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that class action lawsuits can be filed against industrial polluters for emitting intolerable odours, dust or noise, whether or not they comply with government emission regulations.

The landmark ruling stemmed from a decision by the court to allow citizens near Quebec City to launch a lawsuit against a cement plant which was emitting irritating odours and dust. The court deemed that polluters could be sued on the grounds that their emissions, “despite being legal, exceed reasonable levels of tolerance in a community.”

When they’re fresh off the assembly line, new cars have a particular odor to them. Turns out, that ‘new car smell’ is not good for our health.

The Ecology Centre, based in Michigan, has tested cars and kids’ car seats for various toxic chemicals: bromine, chlorine, lead, arsenic, mercury…to name a few. Many of the chemicals tested are known or suspected to cause cancer, decrease fertility, damage development and impair learning.

Best picks for the least toxic cars include: Acura RDX SH-AWD System, Smart Pure Coupe, Chevy HHR LT, BMW MS and the Smart Passion Cabriolet.

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) examined the safety of the chemical bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor found in a variety of consumer products, they based their decision on two studies sponsored by the Society of the Plastics Industry, a subsidiary of the American Chemistry Council.  The FDA claims that there is no safety concern around bisphenol A at the current exposure level.