Bottle firm halts use of plastic tied to tumors
Canada to declare chemical toxic
OTTAWA - Nalgene, the brand that popularized water bottles made from hard, clear, and nearly unbreakable polycarbonate, will stop using the plastic because of growing concern over one of its ingredients.
The decision by Nalgene Outdoor Products, which is a unit of Thermo Fisher Scientific and is based in Rochester, N.Y., was made after reports that the Canadian government would declare the chemical bisphenol-a, or BPA, toxic. Some animal studies have linked the chemical to changes in the hormonal system.
Those reports also prompted many of Canada's largest retailers, including
"Based on all available scientific evidence, we continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use," Steven Silverman, the general manager of the Nalgene unit, said in a statement. "However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives and we acted in response to those concerns."
The United States' National Toxicology Program released a draft report on Tuesday reporting that some rats that were fed or injected with low doses of BPA developed precancerous tumors and urinary tract problems and reached puberty early.
While the report said the animal tests provided "limited evidence," it also noted that the "possibility that bisphenol-a may alter human development cannot be dismissed."
On April 10, the American Chemistry Council, which says that there is no evidence suggesting that BPA has an adverse impact on people, asked the Food and Drug Administration to review the chemical.
Nalgene's decision to drop the plastic that transformed it from an obscure maker of laboratory equipment into a consumer brand does not mean the company is leaving the drinking-bottle business.
It has long made bottles from other plastics that lack the glasslike transparency and rigidity that have made polycarbonate popular.
In March, Nalgene also introduced a line of bottles made from a relatively new plastic from the 
