Yesterday the Minister of Health announced that Canada is going to ban baby bottles containing bisphenol A. All week there’s been talk that Health Canada was going to declare this chemical a toxic substance, and many retailers voluntarily pulled water bottles, sippy cups, and baby bottles off their shelves in advance of the official announcement. In the end, the focus was on baby bottles because newborns are the smallest and most vulnerable members of society. Also, because formula is routinely heated in bottles, the risk of dangerous chemicals leaching from the plastic is higher.

I recently purchased a stainless steel water bottle myself, and I’ve been using that. But I was curious about Hannah’s sippy cups, so I googled the manufacturer. I found a statement on their US website defending bisphenol A. I ended up chucking the sippies – Hannah is 3 after all and really doesn’t need them anymore. I also learned that our bottled water is delivered in containers that contain this chemical, so I’ve been drinking tap water. I’m sure that I’ll get over the chlorine taste in short order.

I’d heard about bisphenol A, or BPA, in some of my hippie mama circles. Although I was concerned, I sort of dragged my feet because I didn’t really want to go through the hassle of sourcing alternatives. But now I’m pregnant and I have a small child and the federal government is saying something, so I’m taking some action. I hope that as people become aware of this issue that we will see more alternatives to BPA-containing plastics. Especially from my bottled water company, because you know that Hannah and I love our water cooler. Fresh cool water that a preschooler can get herself ROCKS, and Hannah is in no rush to give that up.