Mountain Equipment Co-op halts sales of products containing chemical
07.12.2007 17:04
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op has become the first major Canadian retailer to pull from its store shelves products containing bisphenol-A, a common chemical found in hard plastic containers, according to a report. Tim Southam, a MEC spokesman, told the Globe and Mail that consumers who shop at the sporting-gear store have expressed concern about the controversial chemical.  Mountain Equipment Co-op is removing products containing bisphenol-A from its stores because of health concerns.
(CBC) "We've been following this issue quite closely and it's one we've seen an increasing concern [about] among some members," Southam said. The federal government is looking into whether BPA poses any health threats to humans. Health Canada is expected to release its findings in a report by May. BPA is found in a range of products, including Nalgene bottles, food containers and children's toys. Recent studies have suggested BPA may be linked to fertility problems. In January 2007, Yale researchers found that when BPA was administered to pregnant mice, it altered a gene responsible for normal uterine development. The study published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, theorized that exposure to the chemical could lead to infertility in people. Plastic bottle maker Nalgene on its website says BPA has been used around the globe for more than 50 years, noting studies from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have showed the chemical doesn't pose a health risk.
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