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It's hard to walk down the kitchenware aisle in a Canadian store without noticing the "BPA-free" labels on plastic bottles and containers.
Consumers usually assume these labels mean products are safer, or better, because they do not contain the harmful chemical bisphenol A (BPA).
BPA is used to manufacture polycarbonate, the hard, clear plastic from which some bottles and other food containers are made. When foods are in direct contact with the plastic, small amounts of BPA may migrate into those foods, prompting increased public pressure to move away from its use.
But new research suggests the chemicals now used as substitutes for BPA, mainly other bisphenols, may have negative health impacts similar to those caused by BPA. Health and environmental advocates are raising questions about the safety of those substitutes.
And the record of what impact such products may have is confused, because there is little information for consumers on what substances are being used to replace BPA.
Consumers usually assume these labels mean products are safer, or better, because they do not contain the harmful chemical bisphenol A (BPA).
BPA is used to manufacture polycarbonate, the hard, clear plastic from which some bottles and other food containers are made. When foods are in direct contact with the plastic, small amounts of BPA may migrate into those foods, prompting increased public pressure to move away from its use.
But new research suggests the chemicals now used as substitutes for BPA, mainly other bisphenols, may have negative health impacts similar to those caused by BPA. Health and environmental advocates are raising questions about the safety of those substitutes.
And the record of what impact such products may have is confused, because there is little information for consumers on what substances are being used to replace BPA.
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