Wall St. Journal Takes On The Duck

The Wall St. Journal attacked parents' concerns over toxic chemicals in consumer products in a Saturday, January 30, lead editorial. Dismissing studies about the dangers of the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in products such as baby bottles, the Journal editors said "In their book ‘Slow Death by Rubber Duck,’ Canadian activists Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie chronicle how they used the media to terrify soccer moms who then petitioned the government to ban BPA."

Bruce and I issued the following response late yesterday:

"The Wall St. Journal insults the intelligence of concerned parents and scientists who know it is dangerous for children's health to use products such as baby bottles and sippy cups made from plastic containing BPA. Hundreds of recent studies have linked BPA to human ailments as varied as prostate and breast cancer and heart disease. In our tests, documented in the book, our BPA levels rose 7.5 times over 48 hours after eating and drinking from microwaveable BPA plastic containers. The chemical reached levels in our urine that many recent studies have found to have a biological effect. And infants, who are often exposed to BPA leaching from both the plastic in their baby bottles and the lining of infant formula cans, have far greater exposure to chemicals relative to their body weight and nutritional intake.

The Wall St. Journal is putting powerful vested interests above children's safety on toxic chemical issues. Its editorial rejects the basic purpose of scientific research saying 'Environmentalists hope that if researchers run more tests, they'll come up with more links...Thus, they ask for tests unto eternity.' In fact, it was the lack of studies that prompted us to use ourselves as lab rats. Our families would have certainly preferred it if studies had been conducted in modern laboratories, instead of us pioneering them in our homes.

We welcome the opportunity for dialogue and invite the Wall St. Journal editors and any of their friends in the chemical industry to have an honest on-air discussion about the safety of these chemicals for our children. We will even offer them a chair on stage throughout our book tour.

We agree, however, with the Wall St. Journal's comment that 'BPA is everywhere in our lives'. It was this frightening fact which inspired us to write the book."