This week Canada came right out and declared that bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical found in many food-packaging plastics containers, bottles, and cans, is toxic, according to Time magazine. The debate over the endocrine-disrupting substance's safety has escalated, and animal studies have identified BPA-related health problems such as unusual brain chemistry, obesity, attention disorders, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and premature puberty. The Atlantic Food Channel recently highlighted research suggesting that we may have drastically underestimated our exposure to the chemical. But science has yet to prove definitive harm to humans, and the debate of BPA's precise effects continues.
Of course, the debate doesn't happen everywhere. Canada has concluded that BPA is toxic:
Yesterday Canada—with very little fanfare—declared BPA a toxic substance, both to the environment and to public health. The listing doesn't mean that all BPA will need to be banned immediately—Canadian officials said that the declaration would be the first in a multi-step process to better regulate BPA. By listing the chemical as toxic, it's easier for officials to ban the use of BPA in specific products through regulations, rather than amending laws or writing new legislation. Canada has already banned BPA in baby bottles, and this new listing will likely bring an end to food-related uses for BPA, in bottles and possibly cans as well.
Read the full story at Time magazine.