Canada declares bisphenol A hazardous

OTTAWA, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Canada has become the first country to declare the plastic bottle component bisphenol A hazardous to human health, government officials said.

The Health Canada agency was scheduled to publish the official ruling in Saturday's Canada Gazette publication, the Canwest News Service reported Friday.

Earlier this year, Health Minister Tony Clement said plans were to ban the use of the chemical also known as BPA from use in baby bottles.

The chemical is also found in hard plastic sports bottles and the lining of food cans. How those products will be handled under the new regulations wasn't immediately clear.

Last month in a draft report, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said BPA was safe for food storage. The Washington Post challenged the findings, claiming the study wasn't independent, as one of the universities who participated had received a $5 million donation from a businessman who uses BPA in a medical manufacturing company.

Also last month, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported finding a "significant relationship" between the chemical that mimics estrogen with heart disease, diabetes and liver problems, the report said.