Study Plastics to Small Genitals

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- Bruce Chesley

Sunday, October 12, 2008 7:38 AM

[One_World_Religion] Study Links Plastics to Small Genitals

Plastic Ingredient May Cause Smaller Penises Friday, October 10, 2008 Sylvia Booth Hubbard A common chemical ingredient in plastics has been linked to smaller penises and incomplete descent of testicles in baby boys. Phthalates, which are added to plastics to keep them soft and pliable, are linked to a feminizing effect on boy fetuses whose moms had above-average levels of the chemical in their urine while pregnant. Moms who had the highest amounts gave birth to boys with more feminine characteristics. Scientists have been concerned about the effects of the phthalates, known as DEHP, because rodent studies showed it had a negative effect on the masculinity of young rats. Current research conducted in three different areas of the United States, showed their concerns were well-founded. Scientists found a definite correlation between levels of the chemical in pregnant moms and a feminizing effect on their sons. They theorize that phthalates may reduce testosterone synthesis. Phthalates are added to many personal care products including perfume, nail polish and hair spray. They are also included in many cosmetics, but the consumer is unaware because they are not specifically listed on the label, hiding under other items such as fragrances. http://www.newsmax.com/us/plastic_smaller_penises/2008/10/10/139202.html?utm_medium=RSS====Plastics ingredient linked to smaller penises From Tuesday's Globe and MailOctober 7, 2008 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 that found the chemical also appears to make the overall genital tracts of boys slightly more feminine.The findings are sure to add more controversy to phthalates, a chemical that is added to polyvinyl chloride plastic to make it less brittle, and to many types of personal care products including fragrances, hair sprays and nail polish. The research was conducted on children from three different areas of the United States, and found a strong statistical correlation between expectant mothers who had above-average levels of the chemical in their urine while pregnant and the feminizing effect on their sons.Phthalates are "probably reproductive toxins and should be eliminated from products gradually because we don't need them," said Shanna Swan, director of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester's school of medicine, who led the team of scientists who examined the boys. The paper is published in the current issue of the journal Environmental Research.The Virginia-based American Chemistry Council, which represents the makers of the chemical (Exxon Mobil, BASF, Ferro Corp., and Eastman Chemical), issued a statement saying it "cautioned against over-interpreting any individual study."Scientists have been investigating the possible effects on boys of phthalates because rodent studies have shown the chemical has the peculiar ability to shorten the space between the anus and the genitalia in male mice exposed during fetal development. This space, known as anogenital distance or AGD, is normally about twice as long in young male mice than in females. For mice, AGD is considered a measure of masculinity and a way to determine the sex of the pups. Scientists are so confident of the effect that they've given the impact of the chemical on male rodents a name - phthalate syndrome. Surveys of children have also found that there is a marked sexual difference for this trait in humans, too, with the length in boys about 50 per cent more than in girls.Dr. Swan's research, conducted on 106 boys from Los Angeles, Columbus, Missouri and Minnesota, is among the first to raise the possibility that phthalate syndrome may also be at work in humans, because it found pregnant women with the highest amount of phthalates were markedly more likely to give birth to boys who had shorter anogenital distances.When the boys were compared, none of the 29 with a shorter AGD were born to women who had low amounts of phthalates, while among the boys with a long space, only one was born to a mother with a high amount of the chemical.The difference in the genital distance between the high-exposure and low-exposure boys was slight - around 3 to 4 per cent. The paper also showed that incomplete descent of the testicles was "significantly" associated with mothers having more of the type of phthalate used in polyvinyl chloride plastic.This phthalate, known as DEHP, has been listed as a toxic substance in Canada, and Health Canada has proposed but not implemented a prohibition limiting the chemical to no more than 0.1 per cent of the weight of toys used by young children.Phthalates may have adverse effects because they are able to reduce testosterone synthesis by interfering with an enzyme needed to produce the male hormone. This raises worries that they may alter any process dependent on the hormone that choreographs male development. Phthalates can easily leach out of products, enabling humans to absorb them through diet, skin and inhalation.Dr. Swan cautioned that the research was conducted on a relatively small number of boys, and the findings need to be independently verified by other investigators. It also isn't known what effect, if any, the chemical might have on the fertility of the boys, later in life, because the group would need to be followed into adulthood.Nonetheless, Dr. Swan said she believes labelling laws need to be strengthened to allow consumers to choose whether to buy products or packaging that contain phthalates.Cosmetics often contain phthalates, but the chemical isn't specifically mentioned because it is included in other listed items, such as fragrances. Dr. Swan says she tries to buy phthalate-free cosmetics and doesn't store or microwave food in plastic containers, among other steps, to minimize her own exposure.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081007.wlplastic07/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/?page=rss & id=RTGAM.20081007.wlplastic07=====Study Links Plastics to Small GenitalsFriday, May 27, 2005NEW YORK - A manmade ingredient of many plastics, cosmetics and other consumer products may be interfering with prenatal male sexual development, new research suggests.A study of 85 infant boys found a correlation between increased exposure to some forms of the chemical phthalate (search) and smaller penis size and incomplete testicular descent.It is the first time phthalate has been shown to influence the sexual development of human males."This is clearly something that needs to be examined in a larger sample," said Shanna Swan, a professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (search) who headed the study.A paper describing the research will appear in a future issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, a journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (search). Swan discussed the findings in an interview Thursday.Previous experiments in rats indicate that the chemical interferes with testosterone during gestation, producing a condition known as "phthalate syndrome." Rats with the syndrome suffer from genital birth defects, infertility and testicular cancer.The human study raises concerns because the infants did not experience levels even close to the high doses used in rat experiments. The boys' exposures, measured by analyzing their mothers' urine during pregnancy, were no higher than those found among the general population.The last few decades have seen a rise in the types of birth defects that would be expected from prenatal testosterone interference, including hypospadia, a defect in which the urethra does not extend to the tip of the penis, and undescended testicles. Testicular cancer has increased as well, although it is a different type than rats experience in phthalate syndrome."The results are both groundbreaking and potentially troubling," said Russ Hauser, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health (search) who was not involved in the research. "A majority of the U.S. population is exposed to phthalates at the level measured in Shanna's study."The study does not necessarily indicate that the boys were harmed by their exposure to phthalate, however, and none of them exhibited overt birth defects. The researchers found a correlation between exposure to some forms of phthalate and a measurement called the anogenital index (search) - the distance between the genitals and the anus.Though that measurement has no physiological significance by itself, it is connected to penis size at birth and is "a very good indicator of internal malformations," said Paul Foster, a senior fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Newborn rats and other lab animals with phthalate syndrome have unusually short anogenital distances.A growing body of research suggests that some chemicals used in consumer products may cause public health problems by interfering with sex hormones.A study in the current issue of the journal Endocrinology exposed newborn mice to bisphenol-A (search), a chemical found in plastics and dental sealants, at doses comparable to those found in the human environment. At puberty the mice were more likely to develop cancer-related mammary duct abnormalities."In humans this would cause breast cancer," said Tufts University (search) cell biologist Anna Soto, the study's lead author.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,157882,00.html---