CHICAGO, April 18 (UPI) -- A moderate earthquake rattled buildings in the Chicago area early Friday, authorities said.

Officials said there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The quake was centered near Mount Carmel, Ill., about 300 miles from Chicago at the Illinois-Indiana state line, officials said.

The tremors could be felt in downtown Chicago at the Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue for about 20 seconds beginning around 4:40 a.m., authorities said. Numerous people in the Chicago area reported being awakened by rattling windows and moving furniture.

The quake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, occurred in the Illinois basin-Ozark dome region that includes parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas, stretching from Indianapolis and St. Louis to Memphis, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

A quake of that magnitude can be felt as far as 300 miles from where it is centered, sometimes causing damage as far away as 25 miles, officials said.

Toxic chemicals found in pets

WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- A U.S. environmental group said high levels of industrial chemicals have been found in household pets.

Analysis of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 37 cats conducted by the Environmental Working Group found that the animals were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at levels higher than those typically found in people.

EWG said the findings serve as an early warning of widespread chemical contamination in humans.

"Just as children ingest pollutants in tap water, play on lawns with pesticide residues, or breathe in an array of indoor air contaminants, so do their pets," EWG said Thursday in a release. "But with their compressed lifespans, developing and aging seven or more times faster than children, pets also develop health problems from exposures much more rapidly."

The report said dogs showed high levels of perfluorochemicals in the Teflon family, plastics chemicals called phthalates, and fire retardants called PBDEs. Cats showed high levels of PBDEs and methylmercury.

Chicago to test water for drugs

CHICAGO, April 18 (UPI) -- Chicago water officials said they're testing Lake Michigan drinking water for the presence of pharmaceutical drugs and other unregulated chemicals.

The announcement Thursday came on the heels of a Chicago Tribune report that found trace amounts of prescription drugs and other chemicals in local drinking water, the newspaper reported.

The Tribune, which hired an independent lab to test tap water, found very small amounts of a prescription anti-seizure drug, a common painkiller, a nicotine byproduct, caffeine and two chemicals used to make Teflon and Scotchgard.

Following publication of the story, Water Department Commissioner John Spatz said the city decided last month to conduct its own studies.

"This is an important environmental issue that has been brought to light," Spatz said. "We should be monitoring and making sure it isn't getting in the water. And we need the health agencies to figure out if there is anything to be worried about."

Canada to ban BPA baby bottles

OTTAWA, April 18 (UPI) -- Canada became the first country to declare the widely used chemical bisphenol A unsuitable for use in baby bottles and set a ban mechanism in motion Friday.

Health Minister Tony Clement and Environment Minister John Baird made the announcement in Ottawa, and said there will 60 days of public consultations before further steps are taken, the Canwest News Service reported.

The chemical also known as BPA used in polycarbonate plastic bottles and to line food cans leaches out and mimics estrogen in the body. Clement said that was particularly alarming in baby bottles.

"Although our science tells us that exposure levels to newborns and infants are below the level that cause effects, we believe that the current safety margin needs to be higher," he said. "We have concluded that it is better to be safe than sorry"

Clement said it was safe for Canadians to continue using hard plastic reusable water bottles and plastic tableware, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. He said in the near future, the Health Canada agency "will be providing some advice on how to use them properly."

Norway may halt salmon fishing season

OSLO, Norway, April 18 (UPI) -- Norwegian wildlife management officials said stocks of wild salmon have dropped so low they may have to halt the salmon fishing season.

The newspaper Aftenposten said strict quotas and restrictions from Norway's Directorate for Nature Management may not be enough to solve the problem. The decline in wild salmon stocks is blamed on climate changes that alter the composition of the food chain, acid rain and farmed fish escaping into natural waters.

The newspaper said the record low number of small salmon last year could mean a bad year in 2008 for medium-sized salmon, which affects spawning.

Aftenposten said wild salmon fishing attracts wealthy visitors who pay large sums to lease fishing rights.