Monthly Archive for October 2010
Chemicals in Plastic Products Could Be Hurting Young Girls
A new US study suggesting that girls may reach puberty earlier than they did 13 years ago has rekindled worries about the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) used in the manufacture of some plastic bottles, sipper cups and food cans.
Although the study does not concern the chemical itself, critics of BPA suggest it is further evidence of its adverse impact on human health. BPA has been linked to the activity of estrogens; the main female sex hormones. The scientists who conducted the study identified rising obesity rates as a possible reason for girls reaching puberty at an earlier age.
The study, lead by Dr Frank Biro of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and published in Pediatrics, examined about 1,200 girls aged 7 and 8 in Cincinnati, New York and San Francisco using a standard measure of breast development to determine which girls had started puberty. The scientists also talked to the girls’ doctors and nurses.
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