BPA chemical exposure linked to aggressive behavior in girls

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Chemical linked to aggression in girls

Pre-birth exposure to a chemical widely used in plastics appears to be linked to more aggressive behavior in little girls, according to research published Tuesday by a scientist at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The findings, which are preliminary and call for more study, are the first to connect behavior problems in humans with the chemical bisphenolA, which is a key component of plastic bottles, the liners inside canned goods and medical devices.

The chemical leaches from plastic and is detectable at some level in nearly everyone's system. Scientists began to raise concerns about BPA because of its tendency to mimic estrogen -- a hormone that plays a crucial role in establishing the sex differences in the brains of developing fetuses.

Plastics chemical linked to impotence

Male factory workers in China who got very high doses of a chemical that has been widely used in hard plastic bottles had high rates of sexual problems, researchers reported today.

Heavy exposure to BPA, or bisphenol A, on the job was linked to impotence and lower sexual desire and satisfaction, according to the study, which adds to concerns about BPA's effects.

The men in the study experienced BPA levels about 50 times higher than those faced by typical U.S. men, said researcher Dr. De-Kun Li. "We don't know" whether more typical doses have similar effects, he said.

Chemical to get further study

In a long-awaited decision on a controversial chemical found in some baby bottles, children's drinking cups and other food containers, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday the compound merited further study but did not require immediate restrictions on its use.

The FDA, the Department of Health and Human Services and other health agencies have committed $30million to studying BPA, and expect results in 18 to 24 months. Meanwhile, they have issued guidance for limiting children's and babies' exposure.

"We have some concern, meaning in part that we need to know more," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a conference call with reporters.

Smog affects kids' smarts

Researchers for the first time have linked air pollution exposure before birth with lower IQ scores in childhood, bolstering evidence that smog harms the developing brain.

The results come from a study of 249 children of New York City women who wore backpack air monitors for 48 hours during the last few months of pregnancy.

They lived mostly in low-income neighborhoods in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. They had varying levels of exposure to typical kinds of urban air pollution, mostly from car, bus and truck exhaust.

Obese kids face life of problems

An epidemic of obesity is compromising the lives of millions of American children, with burgeoning problems that reveal how much more vulnerable young bodies are to the toxic effects of fat.

In ways only beginning to be understood, being overweight at a young age appears to be far more destructive to well-being than adding excess pounds later in life. Virtually every major organ is at risk. The greater damage is probably irreversible.

Doctors are seeing confirmation of this daily: boys and girls in elementary school suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and painful joint conditions; a soaring incidence of type 2 diabetes, once a rarity in pediatricians' offices; even a spike in child gallstones, also once a singularly adult affliction.