BPA Exposure During Pregnancy May Lead to Aggression in Girls
BPA exposure to an unborn baby girl while still in her mother’s tummy may increase aggression for her as early as age 2. The same does not appear to hold true for baby boys.
For more than thirty years, BPA (Bisphenol A) has been used to make plastic bottles and other products shatter resistant and clear. A wide range of commercial products, including the lining of many canned foods, also contain BPA.
The report of the study can be found online at the Environmental Health Perspectives Journal. This is the first human study specifically examining whether BPA exposure during pregnancy influences the child’s behavior after birth. Previous animal studies over the last ten years have suggested there could be a link.
After measuring BPA concentration levels in 249 expectant mothers at Week 16, Week 26 and then after delivery, researchers questioned mothers concerning the internal and external behaviors of their children when they reached age 2. Mothers completed a children’s personality assessment survey to identify depression, nervousness, withdrawal, aggression and hyperactivity.
The study concluded that girls exposed to the highest levels of BPA earlier in pregnancy had a tendency to show more externalizing behaviors of aggression and hyperactivity than the girls born to mothers with lower BPA levels. The boys seemed to exhibit more internalizing behaviors of depression, nervousness and withdrawal.
The study suggests that children’s development may be related to BPA exposure. Additional research will be needed to make any conclusive finding. The federal government’s National Toxicology Program is also researching this issue. While animal studies show exposure to BPA may impact certain aspects of fetal development, it is believed that trace levels of BPA are not a health risk to humans.
For more information on BPA, see the following links:
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
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