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“The is the first study to provide clear evidence that food packaging is a major source of BPA and DEHP exposure in children and adults,” says co-author Julia Brody, executive director of the Silent Spring Institute, a Massachusetts-based non-profit that studies environmental factors in women’s health.

BPA is so prevalent in food packaging and other consumer items that prior research has detected its presence in at least 90 percent of Americans. It’s used to harden plastics in products such as bottles and cups and is also found in the linings of metal cans and thermal cash register receipts. Phthalates such as DEHP are used to soften PVC and other plastics.

Much debate exists about the safety of these chemicals, which have been linked in studies to breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.

The American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic manufacturers, says BPA levels remain safe.

But, in January 2010, the federal Food and Drug Administration expressed “some concerns” about its potential effects on the brain development of fetuses, infants and children. Though the federal agency did not say the chemical is unsafe, FDA spokesman Douglas Karas, noting that infants are particularly sensitive because their neuorological and endocrine systems are still developing, said, “FDA supports reasonable steps to reduce exposure of infants to BPA in the food supply.”

More American cities and states, led by Chicago, Connecticut and Minnesota, are banning the use of BPA in food and drink containers intended for children 3 and younger. Canada has banned its use in baby bottles.