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May 6, 2008|
Health Canada and Environment Canada have announced that they are considering adding bisphenol A (BPA) to the country's list of toxic substances, a decision that could have implications for the paint and coatings industry. On April 18, health minister Tony Clement announced that the government has completed a risk assessment of BPA and initiated a 60-day public comment period, which commenced April 19, on whether to ban the importation, sale and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles that contain BPA.
Some large retailers such as Mountain Equipment Co-op have already pulled polycarbonate plastic drinking bottles made with bisphenol A from store shelves. According to the CBC, studies in peer-reviewed journals have indicated that even at low doses, the chemical can increase breast and ovarian cancer-cell growth and the growth of some prostate cancer cells in animals.
Although the proposed ban is specific to plastic baby bottles made with BPA, there is concern in the paint and coatings industry about the possibility of a wider ban on the use of the chemical and what the implications of such a ban would be. After polycarbonate, BPA's second largest use by application is in EX resin, which has various applications in paints, electrics, civil engineering and adhesives. Bisphenol A is also present in epoxy resins/phenolic resins, which are used in some industrial paints.
"We suspect that some restrictions and limitations over the use of Bisphenol A in paints and other consumer goods may be considered in the future," says Jim Quick, president of the Canadian Paint and Coatings Association. "The paint industry in Canada is committed to protection of the environment, enhancing human health and the quality of life through the responsible formulation, production, and sale of high quality, safe products," he added.
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
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