Canada: BPA "toxic"

In a move that one official said would make it easier for Canada to limit the amounts of bisphenol A in plastics and other products, the Canadian government yesterday ruled that the chemical was toxic to both the environment and human health.

The New York Times has the story this morning.

The chemical industry vigorously fought the move. But in Canada and the U.S. environmental groups and health officials have become increasingly concerned about the chemical, often referred to as BPA, because of its estrogenic effects.  It is used in many plastics and in the lining of cans used for food.

Just last week, Marla Cone wrote in the journal, Environmental Health News, about a study showing that pregnant women who ate canned vegetables daily had elevated levels of BPA. Pregnant women who smoked (some cigarette filters have BPA in them) also had higher-than-average concentrations. Ditty women who worked as cashiers. (Some receipts have BPA in them.)