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Wal-Mart Bans BPA, Other Retailers Likely to Follow

Studies link the chemical to possible hormonal changes

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 18, 2008

• FDA Again Finds BPA Safe Despite Critics' Concerns • Consumer Advocates Blame Lobbyists for Delays in New Toy Safety Rules • Shower Curtains May Be Hazardous to Your Health • ‘Killer Cribs’ Study Finds Toxins in Common Baby Products • FDA Not Worried About BPA but Critics Demand Moratorium • Wal-Mart Bans BPA, Other Retailers Likely to Follow • War on Plastic Toys Escalates • Plastic War Hits The Toy Industry • Groups Warn Baby Bottles Leach Toxic Substance • Study Warns Chemical In Baby Shampoo May Cause Harm • 'Toxic' Water Bottles Take Top Spot in Dubious Data Awards • Group Hits Apple Over 'Toxic' iPhone • California Bans Plastic-Softening Chemical in Toys • Group Warns of Polluted Air Inside Cars • Watch Out for Hidden Toy Hazards

Wal-Mart says it will stop selling baby bottles made with the controversial chemical bisphenol A -- commonly known as BPA -- in its U.S. stores early next year.

The announcement followed the release of a draft report from the U.S. National Toxicology Program that expressed concern that BPA, used to make plastic, could cause behavioral changes in infants and children and trigger the early onset of puberty in females.

Meanwhile, a new study found that BPA can alter the activity of genes in normal breast cells in ways that resemble what is found in extremely dangerous breast cancers.

The study, conducted by researchers in California and published this month in the journal Cancer Research, found that many genes in non-cancerous breast cells exposed to trace amounts of BPA began acting in a way that closely resembled the gene activity in highly aggressive breast tumors that led to an increased likelihood that women would die of the disease.

BPA is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in modern industry. It is the basic building block for polycarbonate, the see-through, shatterproof plastic that resembles glass. It's also used to make the epoxy resins lining most tin cans, along with some dental sealants, sports helmets and compact discs.

Canada first

Wal-Mart announced on Wednesday that it would halt sales of baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, food containers and water bottles made with BPA in its Canadian stores, following reports that Canadian health authorities would soon declare the chemical a health hazard. On Thursday, Wal-Mart expanded the ban to its U.S. stores.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Health Canada had concluded that BPA is a dangerous substance, the first national government to make that determination. Health Minister Tony Clement is expected to impose restrictions on its use soon.

Other retailers are likely to follow Wal-Mart's action. Target said it is testing glass baby bottles. Babies R Us said it began selling glass bottles and BPA-free bottles late last year.

The latest findings are "highly supportive of the concept that overexposure to BPA and/or similar compounds could be an underlying factor in the aggressiveness, if not in the causality" of breast cancers, said Shanaz Dairkee, lead author of the study and senior scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, Canada's Globe and Mail reported.

The study results were designated a "priority report" by the journal, published by the American Association for Cancer Research, one of the world's largest scientific organizations devoted to cancer studies.

The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, said news reports about BPA are "unnecessarily confusing and frightening the public."

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