MEC pulls reusable bottles from shelves

It’s considered to be a “green” product, saving thousands of water bottles from filling landfills every week, but the popular Nalgene bottle is being pulled from shelves over health concerns.

Nalgene bottles contain bisphenol A, a chemical used in hard plastic reusable containers like water and baby bottles. In dozens of independent research studies, bisphenol A has been linked to illnesses that could be caused by hormone disruption. The substance is currently under review as part of the federal government’s Chemicals Management Plan as well as a review of toxic chemicals by the Ontario government.

The bestselling water bottles were pulled from shelves at Mountain Equipment Coop stores across Canada on Wednesday as a result. MEC has not issued an official press release.

Toronto-based Environmental Defence is pleased with the move. “The writing is on the wall for Bisphenol A. When a product loses consumer confidence to this extent it’s obviously time to move to safer, comparably priced alternatives,” said the executive director of the group. “We congratulate MEC for this leadership and fully expect this to start a snowball effect with other retailers taking similar steps.”