A final report on bisphenol-A, a chemical usually used in polycarbonate plastics, has been released by the National Toxicology Program.

Also known as BPA, the organic compound which is commonly used in baby bottles and canned foods, is thought to be harmful to fetuses, infants, as well as children.

In its report, the NTP notes its conclusions regarding the chemical’s possibility to harm human reproduction and development. The opinion is based mainly on several studies made on lab animals.

According to associate director John Bucher, there is significant doubt whether the changes seen in tests on primates “are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would result in clear adverse health effects. But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed,” notes the NTP, an interagency federal research program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.

On the one hand, the chemical, which is a synthetic estrogen resembling the natural hormone with the same name, doesn’t induce toxicity in humans at typical levels of exposure. At least this is what the plastic industry maintains.

On the other hand, several environmental groups disagree, insisting that BPA can have negative effects on children and animals. Consumer safety groups claim that the organic compound, as an endocrine disruptor, acts by interfering with the body while it absorbs the natural hormone estrogen, which helps to regulate bone development or blood clotting.