The Environmental Working Group has released a survey of the history of bisphenol-A. http://www.ewg.org/reports/bpatimeline
The timeline is riddled with cover ups and governement-industry conflicts of interest, but it all culminates with this wonderful news:
"April 18-21, 2008: Major manufacturers and retailers abandon BPA in plastics. Within days of the NTP and Canadian judgements major BPA manufacturers including Playtex (which makes bottles and cups) and Nalgene announce a shift to BPA-free products. Major retailers including Wal-Mart and Toys"R"Us announce they will quickly phase-out BPA-containing baby bottles. [Wal-Mart to phase out BPA] [Toys"R"Us - BPA phase-out] [Nalgene goes BPA free]"
It's good news that retailers and (some) manufacturers are voluntarily planning a phase out of bisphenol-A, but the Environmental Working Group history of the chemical reveals all the weaknesses of health regulation in the U.S.
Also revealing is how suddenly the tables turned on BPA. Between March and April 2008, there were a few stories appearing about BPA and baby bottles. Within days of each other, two newspaper stories (below) and one story on the Today Show seemed to shock a system that had been showing signs of a slow-building momentum against BPA, but no signs of imminent, widespread action.
Interestingly, the U.S. federal government has long seemed unconcerned with the chemicals that European governments have banned, yet when Canada, a government a little closer to home, decided to do something about BPA, it's all over the news. Perhaps American health lobbies like the Environmental Working Group might be more effective in the U.S. by lobbying Canada.
I'm heading to the recycling center tomorrow. What will you do with your old Nalgene bottles?
[health, backpacking]
