Is BPA a Toxic Chemical? Canada Becomes the First Nation to List It as One

(Oct 14) -- With little fanfare, Canada became the first nation to officially list bisphenol A -- better known as BPA -- as a toxic chemical.

The chemical is a ubiquitous part of modern society -- present in plastic bottles, receipts, canned foods, etc. Most scientists believe it is a toxic endocrine disruptor, which can lead to cancer, hormone problems, damage in developing brains, etc. More than 20 states have moved to restrict BPA, according to Time.

Yet the European Union has refused to put any caps on the limits of BPA in food. And the U.S. has been reluctant to produce any meaningful regulation on it. Sheila Kaplan of Politics Daily blames the U.S. failure on powerful industry lobbies in Congress.

Canada's declaration Wednesday that BPA is a toxic substance doesn't mean it will be banned immediately, Time reports. However, Health Canada believes that sufficient evidence has been presented to justify concluding that bisphenol A is harmful to human life and should be added to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act , the Canadian government said in the Canada Gazette.

In August, a study found that 91 percent of Canadian citizens had measurable amounts of BPA in their urine. The chemical also has been linked to breast cancer, neurological issues, heart disease and early puberty in girls.

The U.S. EPA is currently in the process of a major investigation into its toxicity and possibility of regulation.