A company that sells bisphenol A-free water coolers could stand to benefit from Health Canada's expected announcement on the chemical on Friday.

Paul Robinson, part owner of Dyna-Pro Environmental, a Winnipeg company selling BPA-free plastic water-cooler jugs, said business has increased since concerns about BPA surfaced last year.

"Apparently we've been selling a lot of jugs lately," said Robinson. "I guess some of our competitors who make jugs use different material."

Robinson said his company chose not to use BPA in the manufacturing process for practical reasons.

"To set it up, it would have [been] quite a bit more expensive, that's why we didn't go that route."

Now, if the chemical is restricted, the company could be a big winner.

"Yeah, more luck than good management, perhaps, but it's going to be good for us," said Robinson.

Health Canada is expected to designate bisphenol A, or BPA, as a dangerous chemical on Friday. The synthetic chemical compound is found in consumer products such as plastic baby bottles, water bottles and the liners of some cans.

Nightmare for others 

But what could mean big business for some could be a nightmare for others.

Russell Loewen, owner of Corpell's Water, another Winnipeg company that sells coolers and plastic jugs, is optimistic the chemical will meet health standards — but if not, his company faces huge costs.

"We would be looking at a whole different structure of how to sell water and the pricing," he said.

Loewen said he's already handled dozens of calls from concerned customers.

"We're taking people's names and their e-mail addresses so that we can actually give them the accurate information when it comes in from the Health Canada report," he said.

The Canadian Bottled Water Association has said it is confident water-cooler jugs will not be subject to restrictions, even if other products containing BPA are.

The chemical came under scrutiny by Health Canada in November 2007, as part of a human and animal study into how much BPA is leaching from consumer products. The chemical has been linked to certain health risks, including cancer and hormonal imbalances.

A 60-day public comment period will follow if Health Canada designates the chemical as dangerous. In the year to follow, Ottawa would draft and issue a report outlining how to control exposure.

The announcement comes a day after Sears Canada, Rexall Pharmacies, London Drugs and Home Depot Canada pulled plastic products containing the substance off their shelves.

Wal-Mart Canada, Canadian Tire, Hudson's Bay Co. and Forzani Group, Canada's largest sporting goods retailer also said they would rid their shelves of any BPA-containing products.