Bottle Maker to Stop Using Plastic Linked to Health Concerns
OTTAWA — Nalgene, the brand that popularized water bottles made from
hard, clear and nearly unbreakable polycarbonate, will stop using the
plastic because of growing concern over one of its ingredients.
Skip to next paragraph
David McNew/Getty Images
Nalgene brand water bottles had used bisphenol-a, which some studies in animals linked to hormonal changes.
The decision by Nalgene Outdoor Products, a unit of Thermo Fisher Scientific,
based in Rochester, came after reports that the Canadian government
would declare the chemical bisphenol-a, or BPA, toxic. Some animal
studies have linked the chemical to changes in the hormonal system.
Those reports also prompted many of Canada’s largest retailers, including Wal-Mart
Canada, to remove food-related products made with plastics containing
the compound chemical, like baby bottles, toddler sipping cups and food
containers, from their stores this week.
“Based on all available
scientific evidence, we continue to believe that Nalgene products
containing BPA are safe for their intended use,” Steven Silverman, the
general manager of the Nalgene unit, said in a statement. “However, our
customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives, and we acted
in response to those concerns.”
The National Toxicology Program
in the United States released a draft report on Tuesday reporting that
some rats that were fed or injected with low doses of the chemical
developed precancerous tumors and urinary tract problems and reached puberty
early. While the report said the animal tests provided “limited
evidence,” it also noted that the “possibility that bisphenol-a may
alter human development cannot be dismissed.”
Late Thursday, the
American Chemistry Council, which says that there is no evidence
suggesting that the chemical has an adverse impact on people, asked the
Food and Drug Administration to review the chemical.
“We
hope that the leading regulatory agency charged with protecting the
public’s health, including evaluating the safety of food containers,
will put to rest questions about the safety of bisphenol-a,” the
industry group said.
Nalgene’s decision to drop the plastic that
transformed it from an obscure maker of laboratory equipment into a
consumer brand does not mean the company is leaving the drinking bottle
business. It has long made bottles from other plastics that lack the
glasslike transparency and rigidity that made polycarbonate popular.
Last month, Nalgene introduced a line of bottles made from a relatively new plastic from the Eastman Chemical Company,
Tritan copolyester, that shares most of polycarbonate’s properties,
including shatter-resistance, but is made without the chemical.
A
person knowledgeable about Canada’s chemical review program said this
week that the government had decided to list the compound as a toxic
substance under the country’s environmental protection act. Because of
confidentiality rules, he spoke on the condition he not be identified.
Tony Clement, the minister of health, has scheduled a news conference for Friday to discuss the issue.
Designation
of the chemical will begin a two-year regulatory process that
ultimately could lead to restrictions or a ban on the use of the
compound.
But some retailers in Canada say that interest in
food-related products made with the chemical, particularly those
intended for infants and small children, is fast vanishing.
“Consumer
demand for BPA products had largely dried up,” said Hillary Marshall, a
spokeswoman for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The retailer removed all
baby-related products made with plastics that contained the chemical
from its 94 department stores and 280 Zellers discount stores this
week. It is working on removing other merchandise made with
polycarbonates.
Not all consumers are pleased by the actions.
Because of Health Canada’s review, London Drugs, which is based in
Richmond, British Columbia, began withdrawing merchandise that
contained the chemical Jan. 10 and replacing it with alternatives made
of other plastics or stainless steel. Wynne Powell, the company’s
president, said the last 10 products were taken away this week.
“I
had some complaints come to my desk complaining that we were
fear-mongering by pulling products,” Mr. Powell said. “The public was
not totally on board.”
Asked whether it plans to follow the lead
of its Canadian operations in the United States, Wal-Mart said in a
statement, “We are working to expand our BPA-free offerings and expect
the entire assortment of baby bottles to be BPA-free sometime early
next year.”
A difficult question for retailers will be how to
handle products, including soft drinks, that are packaged in aluminum
or steel cans.
For the last two decades, the interiors of most
cans have been coated with an epoxy resin that is made using the
chemical to extend the shelf life of the contents and prevent the metal
from affecting the flavors of food and drinks.
John M. Rost, the
chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, an industry
group, said that there was no evidence that the linings expose humans
to significant amounts of the chemical, a position not shared by all
scientists. He added that researchers had been unable to develop an
alternative lining that performs as well as the current epoxy.
“The
epoxy resins are the gold standard right now,” said Dr. Rost, who is a
chemist. “The speculation of what’s to be published has led to
reactions from retailers that is not based on any actual data from
Health Canada. So we are encouraging a release as soon as possible.”
