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News July 22, 2024

France Recalls Olympics-Branded Children’s Water Bottles

The European nation, which is hosting the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, has outlawed bisphenol A (BPA), which the products by Vilac contained.

By  Christopher Ruvo

Olympics-branded water bottles for children contained the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), prompting officials in France, where the 2024 Summer Games are being held, to recall the products.

The bottles were also for sale in the United States, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission had not issued a recall. The bottles were listed as “out of stock” in the online Olympics shop in the United States, as of this writing.

Rappel Conso, France’s recall agency, urged anyone who purchased the reusable bottles to return them to stores/retailers from which they were purchased.

French authorities recalled this reusable water bottle for children because it contained BPA.

Featuring a white base color, the bottles are imprinted with Olympics rings and the Paris 2024 games mascot or flame. The products began retailing in August 2023.

Made by French company Vilac, the bottles contained levels of BPA that are “not in compliance with regulations,” according to Rappel Conso.

“Discussions with the licensee are underway to understand the causes of the non-compliance and to ensure that appropriate actions are taken,” Paris 2024 organizers told Reuters. The Paris Games begin on July 26.

In 2015, France banned BPA in all packaging, containers and utensils to be used in direct contact with food. A chemical substrate, BPA is used in combination with other chemicals to manufacture certain plastics and resins.

Some scientific studies have characterized BPA as an endocrine disruptor, linking it to health problems like infertility and breast cancer.

BPA is not banned in the U.S., though there are some restrictions on its use. For instance, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration bars the use of BPA-based polycarbonate resins in baby bottles and sippy cups. The FDA also prohibits use of BPA-based epoxy resins as coatings in packaging for infant formula.

In Canada, newborns and infants are protected from exposure to BPA under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. The act makes it illegal to manufacture, import, advertise or sell polycarbonate baby bottles that contain BPA.