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Health Canada says it is starting a risk assessment into the safety of bisphenol A, a controversial chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen and is used in hundreds of common plastic items ranging from baby bottles to tin cans.

In response to worries over the possibility that exposure to bisphenol A from these consumer products may present health risks, some parents have switched to glass baby bottles, but Health Canada spokeswoman Joey Rathwell said it will be another six months before the department will be able to issue a preliminary report on whether continued use of the chemical is safe.

Until then, she said consumers must decide whether to switch to alternatives.

"That is certainly an individual consumer's choice and if they feel they wanted to make that decision, they can," Ms. Rathwell said in an interview.

Although bisphenol A has been in widespread commercial use for nearly 50 years, recent research indicates it may disrupt normal hormone functioning.

A number of independent scientists have linked the chemical to breast cancer, and other health problems in laboratory animal tests, particularly for exposures during fetal development or in early life, although industry financed studies have been unable to confirm any adverse effects.

Bisphenol A is the chief ingredient in polycarbonate plastic, and besides baby bottles, is used in office-cooler-style water jugs, compact discs, dental sealants and sports helmets, among some of its hundreds of consumer applications. It is often identified by the plastic industry symbol of a seven enclosed in a triangle.

Companies that use or make bisphenol A had a deadline of last week to submit information to Health Canada on why continued use is safe, among other topics.

Ms. Rathwell said the government will not release the data out of concerns that it could reveal confidential business information.

The association representing most of the world's leading bisphenol A manufacturers, the American Plastics Council, based in Arlington, Va., could not be reached yesterday for comment.

Even though Health Canada is only now starting its formal review of the substance, some environmentalists are lobbying the federal government to restrict its use in applications that may result in human exposures, such as beverage containers and tin cans.

If Canada decides such restrictions are warranted, it will be the first country to introduce measures to curb public exposures to bisphenol A, one of the world's most widely used plastic compounds.

Traces of bisphenol A have been found to leach out of consumer items and can be ingested through food or beverages, raising the possibility that people are being exposed to the synthetic sex hormone.

But other jurisdictions that have reviewed bisphenol A, such as the European Union, which released an evaluation on the chemical earlier this year, haven't introduced restrictions.