OTTAWA - The federal government is considering declaring a substance used to make chewing gum as toxic after tests linked it to cancer in lab rats.
Vinyl acetate is one of 17 substances Ottawa could recommend be deemed toxic in a draft report to be published Saturday.
The colourless liquid with a sweet, fruity smell is made into a polymer that's used as a base in some chewing gums -- and small traces of vinyl acetate could wind up in the gum.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has found evidence vinyl acetate might cause cancer in rats, although there are no similar findings in humans.
The government has until May 17 to publish the results of the draft report on so-called "batch two'' substances, of which vinyl acetate is one.
The public would then have 60 days to comment before the government issues a final report, possibly detailing control measures -- similar to the process used last month for bisphenol A.
