Chemicals used in plastics may feminize boys

November 16, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: Baby Health, News

Chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics may disrupt hormones in baby boys causing genital defects or feminization says new research.

A study out of the University of Rochester Medical Center has found that young boys that are exposed to chemicals called phthalates in utero have a lower likelihood of typical male playtime behavior. Two phthalates in particular—DEHP and DBP—were linked to the modification of behavior.

Plastic softening phthalates, like those found in some rubber ducks, pose risks to children

The research, published in the International Journal of Andrology, focused on 145 preschoolers, gauging their behavior using a notably reliable psychological questionnaire called the Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI) that assesses gender-role behavior in preschoolers.

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collected the urine of the children’s mothers at the 28-week point of pregnancy. Afterwards, the CDC measured levels of phthalates in the urine.

Phthalates, which commonly disrupt the function of testosterone, have been prohibited in some form from toys in the EU since 1999. However, many common household products still depend on their usage. The same group of researchers has already shown that phthalates can disrupt normal genital development in baby boys.

“Our results need to be confirmed, but are intriguing on several fronts,” said Dr. Shanna Swan, director of the University of Rochester Medical Center for Reproductive Epidemiology.

“Not only are they consistent with our prior findings that link phthalates to altered male genital development, but they also are compatible with current knowledge about how hormones mold sex differences in the brain, and thus behavior. We have more work to do, but the implications are potentially profound.”

Some have criticized the study for its “unproven methods”. Steve Risotto of the American Chemistry Council told the Chicago Tribune that “the researchers biased the results by using mothers from their previous study.”

“These mothers may have had much higher levels of concern about their young boys’ behavior, because Dr. Swan has repeatedly declared that phthalate exposure is reason for alarm,” he added.

Swan refuted the statement saying that “since none of the mothers knew their own phthalate levels, there is no way that their participation in the earlier study could bias these results.” She added that “the researchers at the CDC, where phthalate metabolite levels were determined, had no knowledge of any subject data, including the results of the PSAI.”

Some experts took a more neutral stance. “We need to get some scientific experts to look at this study in more detail before we can make a proper judgment,” said Tim Edgar, of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates, to the BBC.