quoting:

Q: Have other retailers pulled polycarbonate food and beverage containers?
A: No.

(This isn’t entirely correct, other retailers have indeed pulled their Polycarbonate food and beverage containers because of MEC doing it first)

Q. Are polycarbonate bottles safe?
A: Yes. Agencies and researchers worldwide have studied the safety of BPA and polycarbonate for approximately 50 years; including The Environmental Protection Agency and The Food and Drug Administration in the USA, The European Commission Scientific Committee on Food, The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Findings of studies from these agencies indicate that food and beverage containers manufactured from polycarbonate do not pose a health risk to humans. As a result, polycarbonate is used in a wide variety of consumer products including baby bottles, water bottles, dental sealants and the lining of most food & beverage containers.

(This quote starts by saying yes it’s safe
there haven’t been any conclusive evidence that says that they’re not safe or that they are.  It’s unknown whether the bottles leech chemicals into the water)

As soon as Nalgene or any other polycarbonate retailers do an extensive study on the situation, MEC will put the bottles back on their shelves, pending the results. 

Sean McColl

North Van MEC employee