NC Healthcare Coverage Blog

Exposure to a chemical that is often used in plastics, while still in the womb, seems to be linked to more aggressive behavior in little girls. These findings come from research that was published by a scientist at UNC Chapel Hill.

These preliminary findings, which call for more study, are the first to link behavior problems in humans to the chemical bisphenol A, a main component in plastic bottles, liners in canned goods, and medical devices.

The chemical leaks from the plastic and a percentage can be found in almost everyone’s system. Scientists started to be concerned about BPA because of the way it seems to act like estrogen, which is a hormone that plays an important role in distinguishing the sex differences in the brains of developing fetuses.

Researchers began studying the effects of BPA two years ago on a group of pregnant women who were enrolled in a large study on the effects of lead. There were 249 women in the study. At three different times during their pregnancies: at 16 weeks, 26 weeks and at birth, urine samples were taken and the researchers measured the BPA levels. Later, the women’s children were observed at age 2 by using a standard behavioral test.

It was found that women who had the highest amounts of BPA at 16 weeks of pregnancy were prone to have more aggressive and hyperactive 2-year old daughters. Oddly, there was no notable change of behavior for the boys, but there was some indication of increased anxiety and depression.

Some people have asked for curbs to be put on BPA and last year Canada was the first country to ban BPA from baby bottles. Since then, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us claimed that they would only stock BPA-free baby bottles, toys and baby food containers in all of their stores.

This said, the work of the researchers, seems to indicate that the crucial time to eliminate exposure to this chemical is while babies are still in the womb, maybe even before most women are aware that they are pregnant.