Early Exposure to BPA Linked to Anxiety and Hyperactivity in Boys

By Miriam Capon
We frequently see warnings about using products that contain Bisephenol A (BPA) and many plastic products are now being made with "BPA-Free" alternatives. BPA can be found in polycarbonate plastics, canned food liners and some thermal receipts. Bisphenol A is a man-made, carbon-based product which has hormone-like properties. In 2008 a study showed that 95 percent of Americans had BPA in their urine, which goes to show just how much people are still being exposed to it. Many studies have shown that Bisphenol A is a hormone-altering chemical.

The University of California, Berkley, has released new findings from a study that shows that boys who were exposed to higher levels of Bisphenol-A as a fetus, were more likely to suffer from hyperactivity, aggression, depression and anxiety at the age of seven. To conduct the study, researchers measured BPA concentrations in 292 pregnant mothers, and then measured the BPA levels in the children at age five. At age seven the teachers and mothers of the children assessed them. Finally, at age nine they were assessed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), although no link was found between BPA and ADHD in girls or boys exposed in the womb or during early childhood. No association was found in the female children, and the authors admit to being unsure of why there is a difference in the genders.

This study consisted of women and children who had lower concentrations of BPA in their systems than the U.S. average. Seventy percent of the participants lived below the poverty line, and nearly all were Hispanic. In a previous study of low-income African Americans and affects of prenatal BPA, boys had more behavioral problems, but girls had fewer problems.  

Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Tied to Birth Size

Researchers found that among nearly 500 newborns whose umbilical cord blood was tested for pesticide residues, those with higher levels tended to be smaller at birth.

The chemicals in question include DDT and three other organochlorines -- an older group of pesticides that are now banned or restricted in the U.S. and other developed countries, after research linked them to cancer and other potential health risks.

However, the pesticides persist in the environment for years. In the U.S., diet is the main potential source of exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- with fatty foods, like dairy products and oily fish, topping the list.

In the new study, researchers found that for each 10-fold increase in any of the four pesticides in newborns' cord blood, birth weight dipped by roughly 2 to 4 ounces.

Higher levels of DDT were also linked to a decrease in head circumference, while another pesticide -- hexachlorobenzene (HCB), once used as a fungicide -- was tied to a shorter birth length.

The findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, do not prove that the pesticides themselves hindered fetal growth.

Drastically Decrease Your Exposure to BPA by Eating Less Packaged Food

By Ethan A. Huff
Natural News, May 2, 2011
Straight to the Source

For related articles and more information, please visit OCA's Health Issues page and our Food Safety page.

One of the best ways to avoid exposure to the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) might simply be to cut packaged foods from your diet, says a new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Plastic bags, containers, cups, wraps, and other types of food packaging often contain not only BPA, but other harmful plastics chemicals. But by eating only fresh, non-packaged foods, you can reduce your blood levels of these chemicals by up to 90 percent in just three days.

Scientists from both the Breast Cancer Fund and the Silent Spring Institute conducted their study on five families. The families were instructed to remove all packaged foods from their diets for three days, and instead eat only organic foods stored in glass or stainless steel containers. Measured before, during, and after the study, urinary BPA levels dropped an average of 60 percent after just three days. Those with the highest initial levels of BPA saw a 75 percent drop after just three days of non-exposure.

The team also evaluated levels of DEHP; a type of phthalate used in food packaging, and found that after three days of non-exposure, participants' levels dropped an average of 50 percent. Those with the highest initial levels of DEHP saw an astounding 90 percent drop, which indicates that simply removing packaged foods from one's diet, even for just a few days, can virtually eliminate some of these dangerous toxins from the body.

Exposure to Pesticides in Womb Linked to Learning Disabilities

By Liz Szabo

Babies exposed to high levels of pesticides while in the womb may suffer from learning problems, a new study suggests.

The study focused on a chemical called permethrin, one of the pyrethroid pesticides, commonly used in agriculture and to kill termites, fleas and household bugs, says lead author Megan Horton of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health. Most of the pregnant women in this New York-based study were exposed by spraying for cockroaches.

Permethrin - among the most commonly detected pesticides in homes - is being used more often today as older organophosphorous pesticides are phased out because of concerns that they harm brain development, says Horton, whose study is being published today in Pediatrics.

Researchers measured 348 pregnant women's exposures by asking them to wear backpack air monitors, Horton says. Researchers followed the women and their children for three years.

Children exposed to the highest pesticide levels before birth were three times as likely to have a mental delay compared to children with lower levels, the study says. Children with the highest prenatal exposures also scored about 4 points lower on an intelligence test, the Bayley Mental Developmental Index. That test has a mean score of 100, with most people's scores falling within 15 points of that range.