Plastics Industry Fights Against Reusable Bags

SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

The Canadian Plastics Industry conducted a  commission to study reusable bags and found problems with them.  Hmmm … anyone really surprised?  No? Me neither.

Here’s a portion of what the plastics industry in Canada found:

The Canadian Press (May 20,  2009)

TORONTO — The growing popularity of reusable grocery bags could pose a health risk to Canadians by increasing their exposure to dangerous bacteria, says a study commissioned by the plastics industry released Wednesday.

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association hired two independent labs to conduct what it said was the first study of so-called eco-friendly grocery bags in North America, and found 64 per cent of them were contaminated with some level of bacteria.

Forty per cent of the reusable bags tested had yeast or mould, and some had detectable levels of coliforms and fecal intestinal bacteria when there should have been none, said Dr. Richard Summerbell, who was commissioned to evaluate the lab findings.

Need I say that findings paid for by the Canadian Plastics Industry and used to discredit reusable bags is suspect at best?  Want more?

[…]

The study also warned of other potential health problems if the reusable bags are used to carry gym clothes or diapers in addition to groceries,  (say what?) which could lead to exposure to the superbug called community-acquired MRSA (methycillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

I don’t know about you, but it never occurred to me to use or consider using that same reusuable bag for groceries, dirty diapers, nasty gym shoes, or other nefarious and germ laden items.

This boys ‘n girls is junk science at its best … its paid for best.