Plastic baby bottles have been shown to contain a dangerous chemical called bisphenol A, a synthetic hormone which may cause infertility, cancer and hormonal imbalances in children.

Bisphenol A is a synthetic hormone that has been shown to leach out of a certain type of plastic when heated, endangering the health of consumers. Hard polycarbonate plastic is used in baby bottles, toddler cups, water bottles and other recipients.

Following the publication of findings in a study concerning the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in various consumer products and the way it is released when the products are heated, environmental health organizations in the United States and Canada are now urging for a ban on the use of the chemical in such objects, Forbes.com reports.

“This is quite concerning. All 19 polycarbonate bottles [investigated in the study] leached BPA when heated. This is clearly showing that BPA is certainly leaching from popular and common consumer products,” Judith Robinson, special projects director with the Environmental Health Fund, was quoted by Forbes as stating Thursday.

“We're calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of BPA in all baby bottles, as well as all food and beverage containers. It's not necessary, and we're calling for an end to it immediately.”

The Environmental Health Fund released a new study this week, titled “Baby’s Toxic Bottle: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Brands of Baby Bottles,” which shows BPA leaches from popular brands of plastic baby bottles when the bottles are heated. The study does not stand alone, as other research was also published earlier this month.

Experts worry that BPA can cause hormonal imbalances in babies. According to the EHF report, bisphenol A is “a developmental, neural, and reproductive toxicant that mimics estrogen and can interfere with healthy growth and body function.”

The authors warn that animal studies conducted have shown that the chemical “causes damage to reproductive, neurological and immune systems during critical stages of development, such as infancy and in the womb.”

The authors further warned that some 95 percent of baby bottles on the market, in the US and Canada, contain BPA. Among the brands tested were Avent, Disney/The First Years, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex. All were found to release alarming levels of BPA when heated.

Major retailers including Toys "R" Us, CVS, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart sell baby bottles that leach BPA, according to the report.