Canada Limits BPA Discharges

Industrial facilities in Canada that use or make more than 100 kg of bisphenol A (BPA) per year must reduce the amount of the estrogenic chemical in their wastewater, Environment Canada announced on April 14. The Canadian government previously declared BPA toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and concluded that it may be entering the environment at levels that can harm the environment or human health. Facilities that are subject to the requirement must prepare a pollution prevention plan to reduce BPA in their wastewater to less than 1.75 µg/L by methods other than dilution. They must begin implementing the plan by the end of 2012 and fully implement it by the end of 2016. Wastewater from pulp and paper recycling, scientific research, and laboratory testing is exempt from the requirement.