FeedChemicals in plastics alter the brains of baby boys, making them “more feminine”, say US researchers.
Mothers exposed to high levels of chemicals known as phthalates during pregnancy may have boys who are less likely to play with trucks and other male-typical toys or to or to join in rough and tumble games, according to a new study.
Phthalates, common in the environment, are found in toys, food packaging, personal care products, nail polish, adhesives, and other products such as different household items, including plastic furniture and packaging.
Plastic furniture
Phthalates have the ability to disrupt hormones, and have been banned in toys in the EU for some years. What is being done in Australia to protect out boys from this checmical, is it more important for companies to make massive profits or is it more important that our children are not exposed to these chemicals.
The University of Rochester team’s latest work adds to concerns about the safety of phthalates, found in vinyl flooring and PVC shower curtains.
There are many different types and some mimic the female hormone oestrogen.
PHTHALATES
There are many different types and the most commonly used are deemed entirely safe by regulators
DEHP – used to make PVC soft and pliable and used in products like flooring
DBP – used as a plasticiser in glues, dyes and textiles
If mothers were in the highest concentration group, the chance that their boys had a less masculine score was five times greater than mothers in the lowest concentration group, according to study researcher Shanna Swan, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Center for Reproductive Epidemiology and an expert on phthalates.
Dr Shanna Swan and her team tested urine samples from mothers over midway through pregnancy for traces of phthalates.
Swan and other experts suspect that exposure to the chemicals affects the level of testosterone crucial for the development not only of male reproductive organs, but also the masculine brain. ”We now suspect that the phthalate [exposure] affects the entire body, not just the reproductive tract,” Swan says.
Now they say certain phthalates also impact on the developing brain, by knocking out the action of the male hormone testosterone.
This feminising capacity of phthalates makes them true ‘gender benders’ Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of CHEM Trust.
The women, who gave birth to 74 boys and 71 girls, were followed up when their children were aged four to seven and asked about the toys the youngsters played with and the games they enjoyed.
They found that two phthalates DEHP and DBP can affect play behaviour.
Boys exposed to high levels of these in the womb were less likely than other boys to play with cars, trains and guns or engage in “rougher” games like playfighting.
Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of the chemicals campaign group CHEM Trust, said the results were worrying.
“We now know that phthalates, to which we are all constantly exposed, are extremely worrying from a health perspective, leading to disruption of male reproduction health and, it appears, male behaviour too.
“This feminising capacity of phthalates makes them true ‘gender benders’.”
She acknowledged that the boys who have been studied were still young, but she said reduced masculine play at this age might lead to other feminised developments in later life.
But Tim Edgar, of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates, said: “We need to get some scientific experts to look at this study in more detail before we can make a proper judgement.”
He said there were many different phthalates in use and the study concerned two of the less commonly used types that were on the EU candidate list as potentially hazardous and needing authorisation for use.
DBP has been banned from use in cosmetics, such as nail varnish, since 2005 in the EU.
The British Plastics Federation said: “Chemical safety is of paramount importance to the plastics industry which has invested heavily in researching the substances it uses.
“Moreover, the new European Chemical Regulation, REACH, will ensure further rigorous evaluation and testing or chemical substances and their uses.”
The findings are reported in the International Journal of Andrology.
