March 6th, 2009
No more BPA for you
The U.S. is now following the lead of Canada and halting the use of bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles.
It must be noted this is a voluntary step being taken by industry, specifically by the six largest makers of baby bottles. (Your new bicycle bottle, from Klean Kanteen. Made of stainless steel. From Katescaringgifts.)
BPA has become ubiquitous in the last decades, but an increasing number of academic studies link it to a variety of disorders, including heart disease, cancer and brain disorders.
So it’s likely this is just the start.
It’s possible to make cans without bisphenol-A, as well as water bottles used by adults. (Nalgene specified an end to its use last year)
The problem, as always, is that it’s going to cost you. And not just in money. Polycarbonate, the type of plastic most likely to leach BPA, is inexpensive, durable and can deal with rigorous manufacturing processes.
One alternative is stainless steel. Polypropylene is another. It will take considerable research to recreate the properties that made BPA so good in a non-BPA form. But another word for that is opportunity.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist since 1978, and has covered technology since 1982. He launched the Interactive Age Daily, the first daily coverage of the Internet to launch with a magazine, in September 1994. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 03/06/09
