Researchers, scientists and policymakers will gather at McMaster this week to chart a  new course for research into potentially toxic substances to which many of us are  exposed every day.

During a two-day workshop, called “Contested Science, Politics  and Bisphenol A”, the cross-disciplinary group will explore Canada’s experience  with the compound commonly known as BPA.

BPA is used to make plastics used in everday items, including food and beverage cans,  and has been found to mimic the hormone estrogen. Canada became the first  jurisdiction in the world to declare the substance toxic when it did so in 2010.

“BPA has been in the news a lot, we hear about it, and regulators have a lot of concerns  around what it means to human health,” says Bruce Newbold, director of McMaster’s  Institute of Environment and Health, which is hosting the workshop. “It’s very ubiquitous  in our environment, and there are concerns that it can leech from food containers to the  food we’re eating or the liquid we’re drinking and enter our bodies, where it can have  health impacts.”

Newbold says the group will discuss the lessons learned from BPA and what they mean  for other so-called “chemicals of concern”.

Workshop topics will cover the science of BPA, policy implications and how scientists  can effectively communicate with the public.

“We want to figure out how science can better talk to the general public,” says Newbold.  “And we also want to build new research opportunities, while looking at next steps for  current research programs.”