【消費新聞】SIGG時尚"環保"水壺，證實含有雙酚A(BPA)成分

這兩天令全世界重要綠色消費媒體最為震驚的新聞，莫過於世界知名的鋁鎂合金水壺SIGG，首度公開證實該公司在2008年8月前所生產的水壺，全部都使用雙酚A(BPA)作為水壺內襯塗料的成份之一。

這個向來宣稱安全無毒、且絕不含雙酚A的瑞士名牌水壺，在數日前由該公司的總裁 Steve Wasik在官網以親筆信的方式說：「SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water-based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA. SIGG在2008年8月之前生產的水壺使用含有雙酚A的塗料。」，正式公告了這個令人錯愕且震驚的消息，也引發了世界諸多綠色消費媒體的大加撻伐。

根據SIGG總裁此次所發表的公開信內容，該公司在2008年8月之前一直都使用BPA作為內襯塗料的成分，不過雖然含有BPA成分，但經過內部反覆安全"檢測"結果，這些使用BPA原料製造的水壺並不會"溶出"BPA，所以目前為止，該公司仍舊堅持，使用雙酚A製造的水壺是十分安全，所此自然也沒有任何回收的計畫。

對照SIGG總裁在今(2009)年1月份對所有消費者所發表的公開信內容，提到SIGG所採用的都是100%安全的食品級塗料，...SIGG水壺決不含有雙酚A（BPA）等說法，確實讓人覺得錯愕。

事實上，SIGG從2006年才開始著手研發不使用BPA的內襯塗料，經過兩年的研發測試，直到2008年八月以後才開始生產"真正"不含BPA的產品。目前，SIGG為繼續捍衛其品牌形象，甚至還在其官網圖解說明水壺是否使用BPA的差異：左邊米黃色的內襯是2008年8月之後生產不含BPA；右邊銅色的內襯則是2008年8月之前生產使用BPA的。而這個解釋是否能說服所有的消費大眾，就留給大家日後來公斷了!


不過看完後實在不禁讓人懷疑，含不含有BPA既然一樣安全，SIGG又為何需要新研發出真正不含"不含BPA"的水壺？"不含BPA"與"不溶出BPA"，兩者的差異是相當清楚且顯而易懂的，SIGG這種不具誠意的硬坳作為，恐怕重創的不只是喜歡該品牌的綠活消費者，更是該品牌長久以來的商譽與形象。上圖原公佈於SIGG官網，目前因不明原因遭到移除，所以我們引用了Treehugger所存檔的照片。

參考資料:SIGG的總裁日前於SIGG官網所發表的資訊(目前已被移除)

A Letter From Our CEO August 2009

Dear SIGG Customer,

(STAMFORD CT) – Within the scientific community, the safety of the packaging ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) remains the subject of considerable debate and controversy as evidenced by the FDA meetings on the topic this month. For decades, BPA has been the industry standard for protective coatings – approved by food and health regulators around the world. One year ago, Andrew von Eschenbach, the Commissioner of the FDA, announced that, “The science we have reviewed does not justify recommending that anyone discontinue using products containing BPA.” At that time, SIGG Switzerland, the world leader in premium reusable bottles, had already made the transition into bottles that are BPA free.

Within the reusable bottle water category, polycarbonate plastic bottles (#7) came under scrutiny in early 2008 because they were found to leach BPA. As a result, many consumers turned to metal bottles (aluminum and stainless steel) because these bottles had no issues with BPA migration. Prior to its transition, SIGG utilized a water-based epoxy liner which contained a trace amount of BPA. The bottles were thoroughly and regularly tested in both the USA and Switzerland and all tests revealed absolutely no migration or leaching of BPA or any other substance from the protective inner liner. These tests have been public information on the SIGG website for several years and remain there today.

Despite the fact that these bottles were manufactured well within strict international regulations and posed no health risk, my team and I initiated a project in June 2006 to develop a new liner which would be both BPA free and produced in a more environmentally friendly manner. We recognized early that there were questions surrounding BPA and we wanted to be sure that we had a bottle liner that you, our customers, could have absolute confidence in.

After two years of comprehensive testing and development and a one million dollar investment in new equipment for our Swiss factory, SIGG began producing bottles with our new, next generation “EcoCare” liner in August 2008. Providing the same quality and protection afforded by the previous liner, this new powder-based, co-polyester coating has been thoroughly tested and is certified to be 100% free of BPA, phthalates, BADGE, BFDGE, and NOGE. It is also environmentally friendly as its application generates virtually no waste and utilizes no organic solvents or VOCs. Our new bottle liner is not only a technological advance; it’s a major step forward in SIGG’s journey towards sustainability.

To be clear, all SIGG bottles made since August 2008 contain our new BPA free EcoCare liner. SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water-based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA. These bottles have been thoroughly tested and showed 0% leaching of BPA. It is easy to determine which liner you have, as they are of 2 distinctly different colors. Visit www.MySIGG.com/liner to see photos comparing the two.

The primary reason that I am writing this letter today is because I believe that the BPA conversation has changed dramatically in the last 12 months. Last year, the primary concern was that of BPA leaching from bottles. Since that time the dialogue has evolved such that now some people are concerned about the mere presence of BPA and some states are considering legislation.

I am proud to say that SIGG took action quickly back in 2006 to begin the development of a high performance bottle liner that is BPA free. In addition, we have developed this special section on our website that we will be updating regularly where you can find independent laboratory testing on SIGG and other bottle brands as well as an update on the BPA situation as it continues to develop. We want our current and potential customers to have the facts.

SIGG is a Swiss company that has earned a reputation for quality over the last 100 years. Our success has been a result of ensuring that SIGG customers are always and completely satisfied with our products and our service. If you have further questions or comments please feel free to email me directly at:

Sincerely,

Steve

Steve Wasik
CEO, SIGG Switzerland

寫了一大堆，重點只有這一句：
SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water-based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA.
SIGG在2008年8月之前生產的水壺使用含有雙酚A(BPA)的塗料。

資料來源：Inhabittots、Treehugger

延伸閱讀：


加拿大sigg水壺有害 http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/b5/2009/09/04/a341521.html

SIGG的醜聞 :SIGG的"環保"水壺含有BPA! (SIGG Scandal: Sigg ‘Eco’ Water Bottles Contain BPA!)


SIGG宣布產品使用BPA-太少還是太遲?(SIGG’s BPA Announcement - Too Little, Too Late?)

被背叛: SIGG在2008年8月前生產的水壺含有BPA (Betrayed: SIGG bottles contained BPA lining through 2008)

SIGG的BPA告解(The SIGG BPA Confession: You aren’t going to like it any more than we do)

SIGG Bottles Now BPA Free. But What Were They Before?

SIGG承認使用BPA(SIGG admits to BPA)

Why I'll Swig From My Sigg No More

<雙酚A(BPA)小常識>
雙酚 A(bisphenol A,縮寫為BPA)，也被稱為酚甲烷，它是一種已知的內分泌干擾素或環境荷爾蒙。它經常會被使用在許多與大家密切相關的生活用品上，特別是塑膠嬰兒奶瓶、軟鴨嘴漏水杯、微波爐用塑膠餐具、塑膠餐具、可循環使用的塑膠運動水瓶、食物罐頭襯裡塑膠塗層及牙醫使用的牙溝隙充填物等。

根據WIKI 的資料，目前許多雙酚A對環境及人類影響的研究，仍舊眾說紛紜：一般工業界資助的研究結果傾向於聲稱沒有發現重大影響；政府資助的研究傾向於發現有重大影響，而歐洲及日本學者已密切注視它對人類生殖力的影響。美國政府衛生機構，在一項動物實驗顯示，塑料瓶中通常含有的化學物質酚甲烷可能會引發癌變和其他功能紊亂。在實驗中，接觸到酚甲烷的老鼠身上出現乳腺癌、前列腺癌等癌症發病徵兆。

後記：SIGG官網的BPA公開信將原有網頁移除數天後又恢復了。

後續發展請看：
再論SIGG的雙酚A事件

SIGG總裁公開道歉，並宣布含有BPA水壺的交換計畫

SIGG總裁再度道歉，Patagonia正式宣告終止與SIGG的合作

台灣消費者向北市消保會投訴SIGG代理商