Study: Chemicals in plastic can make boys act more like girls

November 17, 2009

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/Breaking_News/15305-Study__Chemicals_In_Plastic_Can_Make_Boys_Act_More_Like_GirlsNY Daily News

2009-11-17

Chemicals found in many plastics are causing little boys to act more like little girls, according to new research.A team at the University of Rochester studying the safety of phthalates -- chemicals in the plastic used in many household objects – found that they can actually disrupt hormones, according to BBC News. The chemicals affect the baby's developing brain by deactivating testosterone, the male sex hormone, according to the BBC.In the study, scientists tested urine samples from pregnant moms for traces of phthalates, which can actually mimic the female sex hormone, estrogen, according to the Daily Mail. The women gave birth to 74 boys and 71 girls, who were studied at age 4 and 7, with the moms questioned about the types of toys and games their kids liked, according to the BBC.The boys exposed to high levels of two phthalates were less likely than other boys to play with guns, trains and cars, says the BBC, and they seemed less likely to join in "rough and tumble" games, according to the Daily Mail.While some experts think phthalates may be partly responsible for lower sperm counts in men over several decades, this is the first study to link kids' behavior to hormone-mimicking chemicals, according to the Daily Mail.Phthalates may reduce levels of testosterone in unborn babies between the eighth and 24th week of pregnancy, according to Dr. Shanna Swan, University of Rochester professor of obstetrics and gynecology and lead author of the study. This alters the developing brain and male genitals, she told the Daily Mail. An earlier study from Dr. Swan found that boys born to moms with the highest phthalate levels were more likely to have smaller genitals and undescended testicles than other boys, the Daily Mail says.Phthalates are found in items like packaging and plastic furniture, according to the BBC. They also are in shoes, polyvinyl-chloride flooring and shower curtains, reports the Daily Mail.How concerned should a parent be about phthalates?"There is the potential to alter development in early pregnancy," Swan says. "There are a lot of things that can go wrong during pregnancy, and this is not causing missing limbs. These are subtle changes."One way to reduce phthalate exposure, she says, is to cook and store food in glass, not plastic. Not all plastics contain phthalates, but it can be difficult to know which do."I don't want to panic people," Swan says. "But I do want to raise the concern that we really don't need all these chemicals contacting us in our daily lives."