By MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT, Toronto Globe and Mail

Mattresses and bedsprings may never fit into a recycling container, but efforts are under way to try to make the unwieldy home furnishings the latest items subject to recycling.

Exposure of expectant mothers to phthalates, a common ingredient in many plastics, has been linked to smaller penis size and incomplete descent of testicles in their baby boys, according to a new research paper.

Canned foods sold in Canada contain twice as much of an estrogen-mimicking chemical as plastic baby bottles and water bottles -- which have been shunned because of health concerns -- according to testing conducted for The Globe and Mail and Canadian Television.

TORONTO -- Women diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly twice as likely to have the disease spread to other parts of their bodies and are 73 pe cent more likely to die from it if they have low levels of vitamin D, according to a Canadian study.