Absorbent, Ink.-Promotional Products and Marketing Blog

BPA Coverage in the Local Media

Lee Eldridge — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:07:44 +0000

Everytime I turn around I find a new article on BPA and polycarbonate bottles. This last Friday we were interviewed by KSNT NBC TV-27 out of Topeka:

http://www.ksnt.com/news/local/18195329.html

The Pitch, which is the weekly alternative publication from Kansas City, ran a cover story on BPA in their April 24-30 issue. Primarily the article covered interview’s with University of Missouri professors and researchers Frederick vom Saal, Wade Welsons and Susan Nagel. I would have preferred if The Pitch had made a stronger effort to cover both sides of this story. I did find this passage somewhat amusing: (more…)

B.P.A. and Canada

Lee Eldridge — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:32:56 +0000

It has been widely reported that Canada intends to ban the import and sale of plastic polycarbonate baby bottles. Just do a Google search and you’ll find plenty of media outlets following up with similar reports as this one on MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24200546/

Although Nalgene sport bottles are often cited in the media coverage, most of the research being conducted is focused on BPA’s impact on newborns and infants up to 18 months of age.

These stories are based on the suggestions from Health Canada, the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. But as usual, there is more to the story than what our media portrays. Here’s what Health Canada said:

“Canada is the first country in the world to complete a risk assessment of bisphenol A in consultation with industry and other stakeholders, and to initiate a 60 day public comment period on whether to ban the importation, sale and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles which contain bisphenol A.”

And later in the same press release:

“It was determined that the main source of exposure for newborns and infants is through the use of polycarbonate baby bottles when they are exposed to high temperatures and the migration of bisphenol A from cans into infant formula. The scientists concluded in this assessment that bisphenol A exposure to newborns and infants is below levels that may pose a risk, however, the gap between exposure and effect is not large enough.”

And finally:

“To be prudent, the Government of Canada is proposing to reduce bisphenol A exposure in infants and newborns by proposing a number of actions: to ban polycarbonate baby bottles; to develop stringent migration targets for bisphenol A in infant formula cans; to work with industry to develop alternative food packaging and develop a code of practice; and to list bisphenol A under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.”

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2008/2008_59_e.html

This is far from the condemnation of B.P.A. that was widely reported by the press. Canada is certainly one of the most proactive countries when it comes to research and consumer protection. But their own conclusions are that the levels of exposure to newborns are below those that pose a risk.

Press Coverage of Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Nalgene Polycarbonate Bottles

Lee Eldridge — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:09:34 +0000

Product safety is incredibly important to us, and we do everything we can to offer only the safest products available. We’ve been attending seminars and discussing issues related to product safety and promotional products with our industry suppliers and leaders. The more that we understand about our products, the better job we can do of choosing the best products to offer on our site.

Well, this appears to be the perfect time to kick off a new Product Safety section of the Absorbent, Ink. blog. With the recent press coverage of Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Nalgene Polycarbonate Bottles, our Client Services Department has already been answering a handful of related questions from our customers.

It’s always interesting to watch a story take on a life of its own. Despite the fact that agencies such as the FDA, EPA and the European Union have repeatedly researched and investigated Bisphenol-A, and have approved of its use, on April 9th, the Today Show featured a story expressing concerns about the use of BPA in plastics. Unfortunately NBC’s coverage was less than totally accurate as discussed here by the American Chemistry Council:

http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_acc/sec_news_article.asp?CID=206&DID=7226

But this isn’t a new story. This has been bubbling around for a few years. California had been considering a ban on certain substances including Bisphenol-A in 2005 with Assembly Bill Number 319. Here’s an article from the Canada Free Press concerning the science behind the reports at that time:

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/milloy042505.htm

California ended up removing Bisphenol-A from their legislation, as did Maryland and Minnesota, who were considering similar legislation:

http://www.bisphenol-a.org/whatsNew/20060412.html

Yesterday, the American Chemistry Council sent a letter to the FDA asking them to clarify and update their position on BPA in order to help alleviate consumer concerns:

“An updated review of bisphenol A in food contact applications, led by the premier food safety agency in the United States - the FDA - will help explain the extensive scientific review that has already been conducted on this compound. And this review will allow the agency to issue the most recent evaluation of all the science, and all agency reviews to date, quickly and in a way that is understandable to the public. We believe that an update by FDA, accompanied by a clear communication from the agency about what the science means, is needed, and ask FDA to move forward promptly with this review. It is important that FDA move as quickly as possible to undertake this review, since the results, regardless of outcome will help better inform the public.”

http://www.factsonplastic.com/acc-calls-on-fda-to-update-review-of-bisphenol-a/

The plastic industry’s position has been consistent: Bisphenol-A has been well tested and has repeatedly been shown to be safe by virtually every major institution that has researched this issue:

http://www.bisphenol-a.org/human/polyplastics.html

Today MSNBC has reported that Nalgene will be changing their popular line of polycarbonate sports bottles to a new BPA-free material:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24200402/

The story reads as if Nalgene is recalling their products. They are not. Once again, less-than-stellar journalism has raised consumer fears. Nalgene is doing what other smart businesses have done for years: responding to customer concerns. We have been in contact with Nalgene, and we have been told that they will soon be making their popular sport bottles out of a BPA-free material called Tritan copolyester. This happens to be the same material that Camelbak uses for their bottles.

For more information directly from Nalgene and their plans to phase out their line of polycarbonate bottles:

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/

Even Camelbak, who has already been producing BPA-free products, was affected by this recent uproar. Since the Today Show misidentified all #7 plastics as containing BPA, Camelbak will be removing the #7 from the bottom of their bottles.

http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm

This reaction from Nalgene and Camelbak has reminded me of the time Mars stopped making red M&Ms. From Wikipedia:

“The red candies were eliminated in 1976 due to health concerns over the dye amaranth (FD&C Red #2), which was a suspected carcinogen, and were replaced with orange-colored candies. Despite the fact that M&M’s did not contain the dye, red M&M’s were removed to satisfy worried consumers. By 1987, the public had forgotten the scare, and the red candies were reintroduced, but they also kept the orange colored M&M’s.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M&M’s

On a related note, we have recently added the BPA-free Camelbak bottles to our line of sport bottles:

http://www.absorbentprinting.com/drinkware/sport-bottles

We will continue to monitor research on Bisphenol-A. We’re certainly not scientists, so we rely on common sense and the best information available by the scientific community at large. At this time we will continue to offer products that may contain small levels of BPA. We will also continue to research and add more BPA-free versions of our sport bottles for concerned consumers.

Absorbent, Ink’s Christmas Wish List

Abby Ink — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:01:23 +0000

Dear Santa.

How are you? I know that you and the elves are busy, but we’ve had some
difficulties tracking down a Wii for our kids. If you or the elves are able
to track one down for me, I’d be much obliged. I’ll even leave you some
extra Oreos this year.

And by the way, our kids are concerned that you won’t be able to find the
tree this year as it’s not right next to the fireplace. Once you come down
the chimney take a left into the sun room. You can’t miss it.

But that’s for the kids. Here’s my wish list for Christmas.

1. Our industry is facing an interesting challenge. Lead. It seems to be
everywhere. Certainly it’s everywhere in the news. Please help our industry
develop some clear cut guidelines concerning lead. And please help our
government agencies to develop ONE standard test so that we can get
consistent information across the board. We will be asking our suppliers to
provide us with documentation concerning their products, imprinting
techniques and testing procedures.

2. We need more green. And I don’t mean money. Though that would be nice
too. Our customers are wanting more eco-friendly products. And luckily our
suppliers seem to be stepping up to this challenge, slowly but surely. But
it would be really nice if our industry could develop some standards for
what is considered “green”. And if our suppliers could more easily supply us
with information concerning recycled content and a product’s ability to be
recycled.

3. Globalization is here to stay. And I understand the many benefits
including better pricing for our products for our customers. But we still
have a number of customers who would prefer to “buy American”. Plus when we
face certain challenges within our industry (see number one above), other
countries do not always play by the same set of rules. We need our suppliers
to be more transparent with their products. We need to know when products
are imported. And we especially need to know when products are imprinted
outside of our country.

Thank you and safe travels this holiday season. And I was just kidding about
the Oreos. You know that I always leave you plenty of Oreos and a Diet Coke.

Sincerely,

Lee Eldridge
Absorbent, Ink.

Promotional Products Industry Goes ‘Above and Beyond’ Lead Ink Regulations

abbie — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:54:54 +0000

The promotional products industry topped $18 billion in sales in 2006. As one of the larger promotional products distributors in the country, Absorbent, Ink. takes the welfare of our customers very seriously. We strive to work with environmentally conscious suppliers who manufacture and produce the safest products in the industry, and have been very pleased to see our industry take our environmental concerns seriously.

A recent article titled “Recalls have Parents on Alert,” by Kevin Rader of WTHR.com said Mattel recalled a toy jeep that contained lead paint. “The jeep was a promotional product marketed from the movie cars. Lead paint has been banned in this country since 1978 but it is still produced in China,” wrote Rader.

A press release from Mattel on Aug. 15, 2007, stated the company voluntarily recalled the toy because the paint on the die-cast vehicle had “impermissible levels of lead.” This recall caused Mattel to change the way it regulates and checks for lead in paint.

Promotional products are supposed to leave a good impression in clients’ minds, not leave them worrying if they purchased an item that could be potentially dangerous.

Although ink containing a low level of lead is not banned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, suppliers in our industry have been experimenting with inks, such as soy-based and zinc-based, to replace those with trace amounts of lead. The challenges these inks present are a lack of gloss, less resistance to scratches, and less dishwasher durability. Imprinting with these inks sometimes leaves customers unhappy with the end result, but are potentially safer for society.

One state that has gone above and beyond to protect people from potential harm is California. The CPSC has standards and guidelines with products containing lead paint and heavy metals. California, however, has set its own guidelines.

California’s guidelines are outlined in The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65. Proposition 65 is more stringent than the CPSC regulations require. It requires companies to put warning labels on products with paint or ink containing miniscule amounts of lead. There still remains debate on whether Prop 65 is necessary or not, but we are happy to comply with these regulations

State governments are not the only ones tightening production guidelines; some companies are as well. Sabina, a major decorator of ceramic, glass, and polycarabonate drinkware, is one of many printers that have honored Proposition 65. For products designated for use or shipment into California, Sabina offers California approved warning labels indicating that the product contains low concentrations of lead or cadium. As well, Sabina offers a complete color palate of non-lead inks for imprinting on these items.

Keeping people safe is an important priority and we are relieved to see that companies in our industry go above and beyond in meeting federal regulations.

Total Recall

jacinta — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:57:28 +0000

Here’s a list of products recalled due to not meeting the lead paint standards:

Thomas and Friends wooden trains
Spongebob journal
Thomas & Friends Spinning Tops and Pails
Sarge die-cast promotional product
Elmo Light Up Musical Pal
Ernie Light Up Musical Pal
(more…)