In a new study of Cincinnati-area kids,girls exposed to higher levels of bisphenol A before birth had more behavioural problems and were more anxious and over-active than those only exposed to small amounts of the chemical. The finding doesnt prove that moms who have more contact with BPA,which is used to make plastics and found in some food packaging and canned goods,are putting their daughters at risk. Additionally,there was no link between the amount of BPA measured in pregnant womens urine and boys later behavioural problems or between levels of the chemical in kids themselves and their behaviour. Although almost all women and kids had traces of BPA in their urine,The vast majority of our children were typically-developing children and didnt meet any clinical criteria for behavioural problems, said study author Joe Braun,from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Braun and his colleagues took urine samples from 244 pregnant women living in and around Cincinnati twice during their pregnancies,and again right after they gave birth,and measured BPA concentrations. After that,the researchers measured BPA levels in the children each year. At age three,parents filled out a survey on kids anxiety,depression,aggression and hyperactivity,as well as any behavioural problems or trouble controlling their emotions. Almost all women had BPA in their urine,at an average concentration of two micrograms per liter. For every 10-fold increase in that concentration during pregnancy,girls but not boys had significantly higher scores on tests of anxiety and depression and had worse behavioural and emotional control. On the surveys,where a score of 50 represents an average kid,those increases were between nine and 12 points,a fairly sizable effect that parents would probably be able to notice,Braun said. That was after the researchers took into account whether moms were depressed during pregnancy,as well as their race,income,education and marital status. A higher BPA concentration in kids urine at ages one,two and three wasnt linked to behavioural or emotional problems,the researchers reported in journal Pediatrics. The findings dont prove that BPA exposure in the womb causes behavioural problems,Braun said. It might be that women who are consuming more processed and packaged foods are also consuming less nutrients that are important for brain development, for example,he told Reuters Health.
