Protect kids with stricter regulation of chemicals, group urges

cbc.ca: "The group called for a ban on phthalates in children's products, such as soft vinyl toys. Phthalates are also found in many personal care products.

Other contaminants that the group is concerned about include:

- Bisphenol A or BPA, the plastic additive found in the lining of food cans and in many rigid plastic containers.
- Polybrominated flame retardants found in TVs and computers.
The coalition recommended that the federal government boost its legislative power to issue mandatory recalls of products when problems are discovered, and adopt a substitution principle to use safer alternatives to toxic chemicals when possible.

It also urged labelling to give parents more information.

The partnership of 11 groups also included the Canadian Child Care Federation, Pollution Probe, the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada."

Green is the new colour of growth

TheStar.com: "Can we revive our economy with better sewage treatment? Can we provide less costly electricity by getting more renewable energy pumping through our provincial electricity grid? Can we increase our competitiveness by putting a price on climate pollution? Can we create new economic opportunities by changing the lining in our tin cans?"

... by rewarding industries that clean up their act and spurring action by laggards; and eliminating toxics by developing safer substitutes for substances like bisphenol A, currently found in the lining of most food cans.

FDA Draws Fire Over Chemicals In Baby Formula

Conservative Revolutionary American Party III: "The US Food and Drug Administration has found industrial chemicals melamine and cyanuric acid in samples of baby formula made by major US manufacturers. 

Public health groups, consumer advocates and members of Congress blasted the Food and Drug Administration yesterday for failing to act after discovering trace amounts of the industrial chemical melamine in baby formula sold in the United States."

Cats suffering hyperthyroidism from chemical in the linings in metal cans of cat food

maynardsclark.spaces.live.com: "Several studies found an increased likelihood of developing thyroid disease in cats who eat a lot of canned food. 

Specifically, they found a higher incidence of hyperthyroidism in cats that ate fish or 'giblet' canned foods. 'Giblet' is another name for organ meats commonly listed on pet food labels as by-products.' Better-quality, natural cat foods do not contain by-products, although some include specific organ meats like liver. Just what it is in these foods that is the culprit is unknown."

Recent research suggests that the culprit may be a chemical (bisphenol A and similar compounds) found in can linings of easy-open "pop-top" cans that can leach  out into the food and cause toxicity (the smaller the can, the more chemical exposure the food has). However, there are at least 25 different types of can linings, and the particular type used by a manufacture may change over time.   It is difficult to know which foods may be affected, and to what degree. The FDA, however, has stated that the amount of  chemicals that may leach into the food is unlikely to cause disease.

A new study that recently captured media attention suggests that fire-retardant chemicals known as PBDEs may be a factor in feline hyperthyroidism. The combination of PBDEs, can liner chemicals, and excess iodine may be too much for many cats to handle. 

BPA in My Tomatoes? Ugh

Tripletly Blessed: "I was catching up on my magazine reading and came across this interesting tidbit in Prevention. Apparently the inside of cans are coated in Bisphenol-A (BPA) and acidic foods leach the BPA out of the coating more than non-acidic foods. As someone who loves to use tomato paste and canned chopped tomatoes in her cooking, this shocked me and worries me.

I have worked hard to get rid of most things that have BPA in them for the girls. I switched them from Avent bottles to glass Momo bottles. I got rid of most of our plastic sippies and stocked up on Klean Kanteens and Siggs. I got rid of the plastic flatware we had and got some Oneida and Ikea flatware. After learning about this, I've cut pack considerably on my canned tomato usage, but I still like the convienence of the cans."

More calls for a BPA ban in the US

The Canmaker: "A US congressman is planning to get bisphenol-A (BPA), the chemical used to make polycarbonate bottles and some can coatings, banned following a campaign by a Milwaukee newspaper.

Edward Markey, a democrat from Massachusetts, said he plans to re-introduce a bill when the US congress convenes in January that will ban BPA from use in food and drinks containers."

Markey is responding to an article by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in Wisconsin, which funded a study by a research centre into the leaching of BPA from ‘microwave-safe’ containers that included a can of Stagg Chili made by Hormel Foods. The study claims that levels of BPA were high enough to replicate in humans the toxic effects found in research on animals.

The study was carried out by XeroAnalytical LLC, based in Columbia, Missouri.

The highest level of BPA found per container was 1,094 nanograms from a can of infant formula. This is one six-hundredth of the tolerable daily intake allowed in Europe, which in turn is set with a safety factor of five. The Stagg Chili can level was 356 ng.

“This test of ‘microwave safe’ containers adds to the already vast and compelling body of knowledge indicating that BPA is dangerous and unsuitable for all food and beverage containers,” Markey said.

Another of the products analysed was from Campbell Soup. John Faulkner, its director of brand communications, told the newspaper that the BPA levels allegedly found by the tests were too low for public concern. The level was 12 nanograms.

“These levels are extremely low,” Faulkner said, referring specifically to his company’s Just Heat & Enjoy tomato soup product. “In fact, you might just be able to find similar levels in plain old tap water due to ‘background’ levels.”

The P-word

The P-word: "I haven’t used canned soup since I was in college. I like making homemade soup. It’s easy and it tastes better. But what’s more… I just have no desire to eat something that was encased in plastic in a can. Bisphenol A doesn’t belong in my food or in my body. Here’s an interesting reference to the plastic-in-food debate:"