House and Senate leaders introduced legislation on Friday that would ban bisphenol A in all food and beverage containers amid growing concern that the chemical would interfere with human development.

The authors of the bill were Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

“The scientific evidence is mounting that BPA poses health risks, especially to children, and manufacturers and retailers have already started to pull items from their store shelves. It is time for Congress to act quickly to ban this toxin from all food and beverage containers so that parents can feed their children without worrying that the food contains poisonous chemicals,” said Democratic Congressman Edward Markey.

The bill comes a week after six top US baby bottle makers had agreed to stop using bisphenol A, also known as BPA, which has been blamed for a range of health problems.

Recent studies have shown that BPA, a synthetic hormone similar to estrogen, can interfere with how the body absorbs the natural hormone estrogen, which is needed in the development of young bodies. The chemical appears to accelerate puberty and pose a cancer risk. Some other reports, focusing on BPA’s repercussions on adults suggest that it may interfere with chemotherapy. Also, the chemical has been tied to higher risk for heart disease and diabetes.

The bill introduced by lawmakers on Friday would empower the US Food and Drug Administration to grant a one-year waiver to manufacturers who can demonstrate that their product cannot be made without bisphenol A.