BPA has already been linked to a variety of problems, but new research makes the case against the plastic additive even stronger
In the minds of many, the plastic additive BPA is a four-letter word, as it's been linked to a variety of problems, from reduced female fertility to increased diabetes risk. A new study on its effects on children's cognitive development won't help its case any: the research finds that in utero exposure, rather than childhood exposure, may be responsible for developmental problems in children by age three.
In the new study, the researchers measured women's BPA levels when they were 16 and 26 weeks pregnant, and later, the children's BPA levels at one, two, and three years of age. They had the mothers fill out surveys in order to determine the behavioral characteristics of the children.
The researchers found BPA in 97 percent of the pregnant women and their children. This prevalence may sound extraordinary, but in truth, because of the ubiquity of BPA in everything from water bottles to medical equipment to dental seals to store receipts, it's found in the bodies of most people in the industrialized world.