Polycarbonate bottles release the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) into any liquid stored in them, with the result that when people drink from the bottles their urine contains more BPA - two-thirds more in participants who drank for just a week from polycarbonate bottles, according to research by the Harvard School of Public Health.

New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) implicates the primary chemical used to produce hard plastics—bisphenol A (BPA)—as a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and its consequences. Also see Yale University research on plastic bottle chemical and tissue danger.

CNN reported two days ago that the FDA is saying BPA, or Bisphenol A, found in some reusable water bottles, baby bottles and most canned food is not dangerous.

Canada intends to be the first in the world to ban polycarbonate baby bottles. The news has been swarming about the possible dangers of the containers which appears to be tied to two types of cancer and early puberty.

The federal National Toxicology Program said Tuesday that experiments on rats found precancerous prostate tumors, urinary system problems and early puberty when the animals were fed or injected with low doses of the plastics chemical bisphenol-A.

When it comes to Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure from polycarbonate plastic bottles, it’s not whether the container is new or old but the liquid’s temperature that has the most impact on how much BPA is released, according to University of Cincinnati (UC) scientists.