Canada may ban use of chemical in baby bottles

Earlier this week, the US government's National Toxicology Program said that there is "some concern" about BPA from experiments on rats that linked the chemical to changes in behavior and the brain, early puberty, and possibly precancerous changes in the prostate and breast.

With more than 6 million pounds produced in the United States each year, bisphenol A is found in dental sealants, baby bottles, the liners of food cans, CDs and DVDs, eyeglasses, and hundreds of household goods.

In Canada, Health Minister Tony Clement said a draft report on bisphenol A has found the chemical could endanger people - particularly newborns and infants - and the environment.

Ottawa is giving the public 60 days to comment on the report and Clement said it will ban its use in baby bottles if no new relevant information comes forward.

In Washington, Senator Charles Schumer said the chemical should be banned from all children's products and food-packing containers. The New York Democrat plans to introduce a bill Monday banning the chemical and funding a public health campaign on its potential risks to infants.

Nalge Nunc International, a division of Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., said yesterday it will substitute its Nalgene Outdoor line of polycarbonate plastic containers with BPA-free alternatives.