nalgene goes BPA-free

Nalgene yesterday announced its partnership with Guyot Designs to launch its first ever non-plastic product line of stainless steel bottles.

The new bottles carry 100 pounds of verified green house gas emissions reductions-enough to offset the negative impact of their production, making them not just carbon neutral, but carbon negative.

With heightened concerns about the materials used in the linings of aluminum bottles, Nalgene's new stainless steel bottles are 100% BPA-free and are made of 100%surgical grade 316 stainless steel with no lining or coating of any type.

The bottles will be available in Backpacker (shown) and Standard models at Nalgene-Outdoor.com starting January 1, 2009.

it's official - BPA is out

On Tuesday, Health Canada formally designated Bisphenol-A as a dangerous substance.

“Although the government won't announce specific bans or restrictions, the designation could pave the way for the hormonally active chemical to be listed as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which would allow Health Minister Tony Clement to issue specific measures to curb its use.” (Globe and Mail)

Major retailers including HBC, Zellers, Sport Check and Athlete’s World have announced that they are taking off products that contain bisphenol-A off their shelves, following in the footsteps of Mountain Equipment Coop and Lululemon.

BPA is the key ingredient in polycarbonate food and beverage containers – sometimes designated with the recycling number #7 PC inside the triangle – a hard, clear or tinted plastic that is essentially shatterproof. It is also used in the epoxy liners of food cans, and as an antioxidant in plasticizers in #3 PVC plastics.

From Environmental Defence: “Bisphenol A, is a known hormone disruptor and is associated with adverse health effects, including breast and prostate cancer, early puberty in girls, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and obesity.” Kudos to them for spearheading this revolution!

From GREENMOM

baby bottles fly off store shelves

The Globe and Mail reports that the overwhelming demand in BPA-free baby bottles has resulted in shortages across the country, making it difficult for many Canadian parents to get their hands on them.

The mounting public concern over bisphenol A, a potentially harmful and increasingly controversial chemical common in many plastics, has reached a boiling point in Canada after recent tests on Avent, Gerber and Playtex brands showed the chemical can leach from baby bottles and may be harmful to children.

Though distributors like Born Free, Green to Grow and ThinkBaby are filling orders as quickly as they can, the demand has been so high many stores don't expect new stock for several more weeks.

Glass bottles are more readily available, but some parents and child care organizations are wary of using them because of the risk of broken glass.