Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Canadian unit, Hudson's Bay Co., and Canadian Tire Group joined a group of Canadian retailers pulling plastic bottles containing bisphenol A. On Tuesday, The Forzani Group Ltd. said it would pull water bottles made with the substance and provide alternative containers to customers, citing worries over the health risks involved with the product.
Canada's health ministry is expected to classify bisphenol A as a dangerous substance, which could lead to regulations on the increasingly controversial chemical. The move would make the department the first regulatory body anywhere in the world to rule that bisphenol A (BPA) endangers people and the environment, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.
BPA, which is used to make many hard plastic toys, bottles and food containers, is thought to mimic the hormone estrogen. Recent independent studies link the chemical to breast cancer, obesity, infertility and insulin-resistance in rodents. The plastics industry ahs vigorously defended the chemical, noting it has been used widely for 50 years.
Wal-Mart said that its Canadian division will stop selling baby bottles and food containers with bisphenol A and expand its stock of alternatives while awaiting guidance from Canada's health agency. Hudson's Bay, the country's biggest department-store chain, said it will withdraw all baby products with the chemical.
Forzani began removing the bottles early Tuesday, after reports Health Canada is about to designate BPA as dangerous. The company is providing refunds for any bottles with receipts. In December, Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op became the first major Canadian retailer to pull polycarbonate containers from its store shelves. Lululemon Athletica Inc., also Vancouver-based, announced plans later the same month to stop selling plastic water bottles that contain bisphenol A.
