BPA concerns spur sales of steel bottles at Mountain Equipment Co-op

Vancouver-based retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op is having trouble keeping stores across the country stocked with new stainless steel water bottles.

The steel replacements for a popular type of plastic bottle have been selling out since MEC pulled the plastic bottles from its stores in December over concerns that polycarbonate plastic leaches the chemical bisphenol A (BPA).

MEC halted sales of plastic bottles with BPA in response to recent studies, which have suggested the chemical might be linked to a number of health problems in humans.

BPA has been linked to adverse health effects in rodents, including obesity, cancer and insulin resistance. And there is growing concern that exposure to BPA — which is also present in the lining of food tins, and hard plastic children's cups — even in low levels, may cause similar adverse effects in humans.

The federal Health Department is taking a new look at the scientific literature on the chemical, much of which is contradictory or inconclusive.

While the initial findings from that study are not due until May, MEC spokesman Tim Southam said some consumers have already made up their minds.

As a result, shipments of the steel water bottles to some MEC stores are selling out in a couple of days, said Southam.

"So in a small market like Halifax that's very strong demand for sure," he said.