Canada may restrict use of chemical

TORONTO —  A ubiquitous chemical found in hard-plastic water bottles, DVDs, CDs and hundreds of other common items came under increased pressure Friday when Canada said it might ban the use of bisphenol A in baby bottles because it is potentially harmful.

Health Canada made the announcement shortly after a U.S. company said it would stop selling hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A because of increasing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk.

Health Canada’s action could be the country’s first step toward banning the chemical altogether.

This week, the U.S. government’s National Toxicology Program said there was “some concern” about bisphenol A 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.

Although such animal studies only provide “limited evidence” of risk, the draft report said a possible effect on humans “cannot be dismissed.”

With more than 6 million pounds produced in the United States every 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 that the chemical could endanger people -- particularly newborns and infants -- and the environment.