News

Many people are so worried about the safety of polycarbonate water bottles, which leach trace amounts of an estrogen mimic known as bisphenol A, that they're ditching the plastic and looking for containers made from other materials.

But that has raised other questions: Just how safe are the alternatives, and is Health Canada trying to find out?

Many environmentalists are giving substitute materials a favourable nod, but some of the newer chemicals used to replace polycarbonate haven't been studied in depth to fully verify their safety, and Canada's regulatory system has loopholes that allow products to be sold without much testing.

One of the main alternatives to polycarbonate, particularly in BPA-free baby bottles, is a honey-coloured plastic known as polyethersulphone, or PES. Health Canada says it has approved its use in food-processing equipment because any resulting human exposures would be "extremely low," but has never done an assessment checking whether use in baby bottles holds any risks.

"The department has not reviewed the use of polyethersulphone in other applications, such as food storage containers for consumers or baby bottles," Health Canada said in an e-mailed response to questions from The Globe and Mail.

Under Canada's Food and Drugs Act, it is against the law to sell food in packaging that leaches dangerous substances. But Health Canada says it hasn't received any requests for safety assessments from companies selling polyethersulphone products to ensure they're complying with the act. Furthermore, it said the provisions in its regulations against selling food in harmful packaging don't apply to "the sale of empty baby bottles."

Environmental Defence, a Toronto-based conservation group that is lobbying the federal government to ban plastics containing BPA from food-contact uses, recommends consumers use glass bottles, but says some types of plastic pass muster with it. The group doesn't believe BPA-free plastics pose a risk, because these materials don't readily break down and leach chemicals into beverages.

"If you're not comfortable using glass bottles, which frankly would be our top recommendation ... then go with a non-toxic plastic," says Rick Smith, the group's executive director.

However, the industry lobby group representing bisphenol A manufacturers says consumers should stick with polycarbonate because it has been well studied.

Trace amounts of BPA in the parts-per-billion range leach from baby bottles and plastic liners inside canned food during normal usage. The industry contends these exposures to a synthetic estrogen are safe, although independent scientists disagree. Health Canada is evaluating the evidence from both sides.

"Safety data on alternatives is not readily available, if available at all, which makes it difficult for anyone to assess the safety of BPA-free products," says Steven Hentges, spokesman at the Arlington, Virginia-based American Plastics Council.

One manufacturer using PES for baby bottles is Florida-based Born Free Inc. President Ron Vigdor says the company has tested its bottles in laboratories in Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel, and found no detectable leaching from the plastic in analyses with a sensitivity in the parts-per-trillion range. He said the company chose the material, which he says costs several times more than polycarbonate, because it is able to withstand high-temperature dishwashing and microwaving without degrading.

Frederick vom Saal, a professor in the biological sciences department at the University of Missouri, has tested PES and found that it "does not seem as estrogenic" as the bisphenol A used to make polycarbonate, although he said the biological activity of sulphones "hasn't been well characterized" in the scientific literature.

But he said that based on PES's chemical attributes, it doesn't react as readily as polycarbonate to heating, acidic fluids or alkaline dishwasher detergents, so it is likely a safer choice for making food-contact plastics. Because it doesn't readily leach "even if it had identical toxicity" to bisphenol A, "it would still be a better choice," he said.

Many consumers are choosing stainless steel water bottles. Klean Kanteen, a California-based company that makes such products, warns on its website that there is a small possibility of nickel allergies from stainless steel. The company says it provides the information so consumers can make informed choices about its products, but has never received a report of any allergies.

Like many parents concerned that polycarbonate bottles might be a health threat, Andrea Page has been tossing the plastic from her home. Her family now uses stainless steel water bottles, and one of her children, who takes a bottle at night, has one made of glass.

"For me, it's just a matter of trying to avoid plastics in general," says Ms. Page, founder of Fit Mom Canada, a Toronto-based company that advises expectant mothers on prenatal and postnatal exercise programs. At her business, Ms. Page also recommends new mothers use glass and stainless steel bottles over plastic products, based on a view that they are safer, but she still worries about giving the advice.

"Even then, I think, 'Am I going to find something out about stainless steel that I don't know five years from now?' "

A plastics primer

ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

Not all plastics are created equal, at least when it comes to the debate over their environmental and health impact.

British Columbia's Labour and Environmental Alliance Society has published a guide to potential health hazards in everyday household products. It gives three types of plastic a thumbs down, but endorses three others.

Consumers can readily identify the type of plastic by looking on the container (usually on the bottom) for the industry-defined code - a triangle encasing a number, as listed below.

Avoid

1 PET PETE POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE: Often used for soft-drink and single-use water bottles. May leak antimony, a heavy metal.

3 PVC POLYVINYL CHLORIDE: Used in some clear plastic food wraps. The group worries that phthalates used to soften this type of plastic might leach out. Phthalates worry some researchers because they can interfere with testosterone production.

7 OTHER Includes polycarbonate, used in water bottles and office-style water-cooler jugs. This plastic is made from bisphenol A, which has some ability to mimic estrogen and has been linked by some researchers to diseases associated with hormone imbalances.

Preferred

2 HDPE HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE: Often used in opaque detergent bottles, juice bottles, hard plastic milk jugs and some plastic grocer bags.

4 LDPE LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE: Often used for see-through dry cleaning bags and produce bags.

5 PP POLYPROPYLENE: Often used in yogurt containers.

Martin Mittelstaedt