Connecticut official demands answers on BPA

If there is a more scrutinized and despised chemical than bisphenol A, I haven’t heard of it.

And now Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating whether industry officials are using “fear tactics, political manipulation, and misleading marketing’’ to fight regulation of the chemical, which is used in hundreds of everyday products, from baby bottles to canned food.

The chemical, if you haven’t heard, can leach out of some clear, hard plastic bottles and be ingested by people. It has come under growing criticism because of numerous animal studies in recent years that suggest low levels of BPA could cause developmental problems in fetuses and young children, among other ill effects.

Blumenthal is focusing on an industry meeting held in May. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel obtained a summary of the discussion, which included possible strategies to better market BPA, including getting a pregnant woman to serve as a spokeswoman - the “holy grail’’ according to the memo.

Blumenthal wrote a letter to companies and associations that attended, including Coca-Cola Co., Crown Packaging Inc., Alcoa, Del Monte Foods, and the American Chemistry Council, asking for details.

Connecticut has been a leader against BPA, helping to get six major baby-bottle companies, including Gerber and Playtex, to stop using the chemical in the United States.

Massachusetts residents are waiting for a state Department of Public Health decision whether to warn pregnant women and young children to avoid food, drinks, and other items containing the chemical.

Trying to avoid BPA in plastics? Avoid clear, hard plastic bottles marked “7’’ or “PC.’’ While not all contain BPA, it’s a good guide.

A first in N.H.
A few years ago, any wind turbine in New England was big news. But these days, solitary turbines are becoming a part of the landscape. This isn’t true for industrial wind farms, though. Concerns about aesthetics, noise, and bird kills have stalled the proposed 130-turbine Nantucket Sound project - the poster child for the opposition - and several land-based projects are on hold for the same reasons.

That’s why it’s worth noting that New Hampshire’s first commercial-scale wind farm was dedicated Friday, 30 miles north of Keene. The 12 turbines are producing enough power for about 10,000 homes. The project, by Iberdrola Renewables Inc., took five years to build.
BETH DALEY

3.64 trillion and counting
The red numbers flash past faster than you can count, ticking off the ever-growing amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. The carbon counter, on a nearly 70-foot billboard at Pennsylvania Station in New York City (online at www.dbcca.com) was created using measurements developed by MIT scientists in partnership with Deutsche Bank. Deutsche is sponsoring a “Know the Number’’ campaign to educate people about greenhouse gases. It’s a member of the Investor Network on Climate Risk, run by Ceres, a Boston green investment coalition.

The counter tallies about 800 new metric tons of carbon a second, a Ceres spokesman said.

ERIN AILWORTH