Even while Congress is still considering measures to ban a controversial chemical used in producing baby cups, toys and water bottles, two major retailers on Long Island and elsewhere are removing products containing such chemicals from their shelves, they said Wednesday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest retailer, which has 11 stores on the Island, and Toys R Us, which has 13 stores in Nassau and Suffolk, have said they are taking steps to remove products that contain Bisphenol-A, a chemical used to make plastics clear and shatter-resistant. Its common uses include water bottles, food containers and baby bottles.

Some federal legislators, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), are supporting measures to ban products containing what is commonly referred to as BPA.

Scientific research has drawn different conclusions about its use. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it does not see a need for a ban on products made with BPA. But some consumer groups, backed by the National Toxicology Program, an organization of several federal health and safety groups, disagree.

In a recent draft report, the national group said there is "some concern" BPA can cause changes in behavior and the brain. The group said its conclusions are based on studies in animals.

Saying they were responding to "consumer demand," both Wal-Mart and Toys R Us issued announcements in April that BPA products will be removed.

"While the FDA has not established any restrictions on the use of BPA in baby bottles, for several years now we have offered a variety of BPA-free products for customers who seek this option," said a Wal-Mart statement. "We are working to expand our BPA-free offerings and expect the entire assortment of baby bottles to be BPA-free sometime early next year."

Toys R Us said "in light of growing consumer concerns on this topic, the company has been working with manufacturers to phase out all baby bottles and other baby feeding products containing BPA. ... This process is ongoing and is expected to be completed before the end of 2008."

Whole Foods Markets also stopped selling BPA baby bottles.

Nalgene, a Rochester-based company that is one of the nation's largest makers of plastic containers, said last month it will "phase out production" of its line of containers containing BPA over the next several months.

Schumer and other Democrats in Congress are seeking a ban on the chemical's use. "BPA is far more dangerous than many had realized," Schumer wrote his colleagues. Legislation is pending in both houses.

In the United States, BPA is manufactured by Bayer Materials Science, Dow Chemical, General Electric and Sunoco Chemicals. Spokespersons for those companies could not be reached for comment.