Canada: BPA toxic, to ban baby bottles

? Canada declared a chemical widely used in food packaging a toxic substance on Saturday and will now move to ban plastic baby bottles containing bisphenol A.

The toxic classification, issued in the Canada Gazette, makes Canada the first country to classify the chemical commonly used in the lining of food cans, eyeglass lenses and hundreds of household items, as risky.

“Many Canadians…have expressed their concern to me about the risks of bisphenol A in baby bottles,” Environment Minister John Baird said in a statement. “Today’s confirmation of our ban on BPA in baby bottles proves that our government did the right thing in taking action to protect the health and environment for all Canadians.”