Some people are panicking over a potentially dangerous chemical in plastic and tin containers.  It's called Bisphenol-A and can be found in containers for bottled water, baby formula and food.

  Democrats in the U.S. Senate are proposing a ban of this controversial chemical from all products made for infants and children up to age 7.  Canadian health officials recently declared BPA to be toxic.

  To find out if all the headline hype is causing needless worry, we tested for the chemical ourselves.

  "I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what harm have I done to her?’ That's what I thought," said Brandi Gray of Mountain View, Mo.

  BPA is in some popular sports bottles, plastic baby bottles, Sippy cups, and canned infant formula.  But you could also be nuking this potentially dangerous chemical in some microwave meals or even eating it in canned foods from your pantry.

  "We're talking about programming time bombs in your baby's organs.  That will lead to cancers in those organs, infertility, and behavioral abnormalities later in life,” said Frederick Vom Saal, a professor and researcher at the University of Missouri.

  BPA has been used as a plastic hardener for more than a half century and in the lining of cans after the Food and Drug Administration declared it to be safe, based on two studies funded by the chemical industry.   Now the FDA is reviewing more than 100 other studies that revealed health concerns.

  "This chemical acts like a birth control chemical.  It's an estrogen-mimicking drug-like chemical,” said Vom Saal.

 Vom Saal has extensively researched BPA.  He says studies on animals and adults show exposure to it caused prostate and breast cancers, diabetes and damaged ovaries and lowered sperm count. 

  The U.S. National Toxicology Program is now concerned about brain and behavioral disorders in babies and children.

  “We now know that this has the same kind of previous unknown toxicity that chemicals like asbestos and lead in paint that causes brain damage, nicotine in cigarettes that is addictive and is carcinogenic; this is an animal carcinogen,” said Vom Saal.

  Bisphenol-A is scattered throughout the plastic or can like bricks in a wall.  Heat weakens the structure, causing the chemical to leach into the food or beverage. 

  As soon as Richard and Brandi Gray heard about the possible health problems, they worried about what else their baby daughter was drinking.  So they started taking a closer look at their bottles.

  Many plastic containers have a recycling triangle symbol. If it has the number 7 in the middle, it could contain Bisphenol-A.

  We wanted to check for Bisphenol-A ourselves.  So we selected three items for testing: a baby bottle, a microwaveable baby meal and some canned tomatoes.

  The biggest BPA-carrying culprit is the canned tomatoes, with nearly 12,288 nanograms in the whole can.

  Next, we tested water poured into a #7 baby bottle left at room temperature for 24 hours.  About half a nanogram (.52) of BPA leached into the water.

   Tat number skyrocketed when the bottle was heated -- to 1,071 nanograms of BPA.  That's 2,052 times higher.

  Scientists say even more would be released in fatty liquids like milk or formula.

  "The baby doesn't have a developed immune system; it doesn't have a developed liver; it can't detoxify itself,” said Vom Saal.

  The suprise in our study was the microwave toddler meal.  Before heating it, the lab found 28 nanograms of BPA in the food.  After zapping it for the instructed 30 seconds, that number didn’t increase.

  Researchers believe that wasn't long enough for the food to heat up to a point where more BPA would leach out of the plastic.  The food was barely lukewarm.

  To find the chemical in containers, look for the recycling triangle symbol.  If it has the number 7 in the middle, it could contain the chemical. 

  The FDA does not have a specific amount of BPA that is considered safe for adults and infants.  The Grays aren't waiting for the FDA.  They spent $20 online to buy just two BPA-free plastic bottles, a big price difference from the $4 four-pack of the old ones.

  "If it was $40 for two bottles, it would not be too expensive when it comes to the health of my child,” said Richard Gray.

BPA free products mentioned during segment:

All Medela breast pumps and accessories

Parent’s Choice feeding bottles 3-pack (sold at Walmart)

Adiri natural nurser (sold at Baby News in Springfield)

Think Baby sippy cups and bottles (sold at Baby News)

Dr. Brown’s glass bottles (company is working on BPA free plastic bottles)

Stainless steel water bottles (sold at Mama Jean’s Natural Market in Springfield)