[Pharmwaste] Study links BPA exposure in womb to behavior problems in toddler girls

[DeBiasi, Deborah (DEQ)]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/study-links-bpa-exposure-
in-womb-to-behavior-problems-in-toddler-girls/2011/10/24/gIQA6ihRDM_stor
y.html?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads

 


Study links BPA exposure in womb to behavior problems in toddler girls


By Dina ElBoghdady
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/dina-elboghdady/2011/03/01/ABuq4sM_page.h
tml> , Published: October 24


A chemical used widely in plastic bottles, metal cans and other consumer
products could be linked to behavioral and emotional problems in toddler
girls, according to a government-funded study published online Monday in
the journal Pediatrics.

After tracking 244 Cincinnati-area mothers and their 3-year-olds, the
study concluded that mothers with high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in
their urine were more likely to report that their children were
hyperactive, aggressive, anxious, depressed and less in control of their
emotions than mothers with low levels of the chemical.

While several studies have linked BPA to behavioral problems in
children, this report is the first to suggest that a young girl's
emotional well-being is linked to her mother's exposure during pregnancy
rather than the child's exposure after birth. Girls were more sensitive
to the chemical in the womb than boys, maybe because BPA mimics the
female hormone estrogen, which is thought to play a role in behavioral
development. 

The results add to a growing body of research that suggests exposure to
BPA poses health risks in humans. While the federal government has long
maintained that low doses of BPA are safe, the Food and Drug
Administration and other federal agencies are taking a closer look
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR20100
11504070.html> and investing in more research about the chemical's
health effects. 

In the Cincinnati study, the authors cautioned that their results could
have been skewed by the eating habits of the mothers observed. For more
than 40 years, BPA has been used to make plastic bottles and the lining
of metal-based cans. It's possible that mothers who ate a lot of
packaged foods simply didn't eat enough nutrients essential for brain
development, said Joe M. Braun, the study's lead author.

None of the children exhibited behavior outside the normal range, said
Braun, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health. But
they behaved worse than children whose mothers had relatively low traces
of BPA in their urine, he said.

The results were based on urine samples from the mother (two during
pregnancy and one at birth) and urine samples from their children taken
at ages 1, 2 and 3. The mothers then filled out surveys about their
children's behavior at age 3.

The American Chemistry Council, which represents the chemical industry,
dismissed the study, saying it has "significant shortcomings" in design
and its conclusions "are of unknown relevance to public health."

The group cited the study's small sample size as one drawback. Braun
said it's difficult to conduct this type of research with a larger
group. 

Several experts who track the issue said they would like to see the
study repeated with another group of children. 

Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences, said the sample size is reasonable and its results
support studies that show similar effects in animals. The challenge with
observational studies such as this one, she said, is that the effects
are subtle and, therefore, tougher to tease out.

"These are not the kinds of effects that hit you over the head,"
Birnbaum said. "We're not looking for missing arms and legs."

Birnbaum's group and the Environmental Protection Agency funded the
study.

Meanwhile, she said, the marketplace has spoken. 

Due to consumer pressure, some companies have voluntarily removed the
chemical from products
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR20100
22204830.html>  or started offering BPA-free alternatives. A number of
states and cities, including Maryland, have banned BPA in some
children's products. France has taken action to prohibit BPA use in food
packages altogether, but the ban has not yet taken effect. 

Earlier this month, the American Chemistry Council petitioned the FDA to
ban the use of the chemical
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/25/AR20100
42503408.html>  in baby bottles and sippy cups. The group said the
chemical hasn't been used in those products for years, but that the ban
would help clear consumer confusion. The council maintains that BPA is
safe. 

(c) The Washington Post Company

 

 

 

 

 

Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov <http://www.deq.virginia.gov/> 
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permit and Compliance Assistance Programs
Industrial Pretreatment/Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Program
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents 
www.deq.virginia.gov/vpdes/microconstituents.html

3rd National DEA Drug Collection 10/29/2011, 10-2 pm

Go to www.dea.gov for site locations

Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028      FAX:      804-698-4032

 

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