WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The federal agency that investigates
health risks is concerned that the chemical bisphenol A may harm
people and is spending $20 million to study the substance,
widely used in food containers, a U.S. official said on
Thursday. The National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences has launched 11 new animal studies to investigate the
possible effects of bisphenol A or BPA, NIEHS director Linda
Birnbaum told Congress. "There are concerns about multiple
possible health effects of BPA exposure," Birnbaum told a
hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Energy and Environment
Subcommittee. "While much of the exposure to BPA in humans
occurs through the diet, other sources of exposure include air,
dust and water," she told the hearing, called to examine
endocrine disruptors in drinking water. Endocrine disruptors are
natural or synthetic chemicals that may interfere with or mimic
human hormones that regulate growth and development. Canada
plans to ban plastic baby bottles made with BPA. The