Study Indicates Excessive Exposure to Phthalates During Pregnancy May Affect Baby’s Testicles, Compromising Long-Term Reproductive Health
It is known that various components of plastic are harmful to health. They are the so-called endocrine disruptors, chemical compounds that interfere with our hormonal system, causing significant changes in the body, and which arouse great interest from the scientific community. Recently, a Danish study highlighted another discovery in the area: excessive exposure a phthalates during pregnancy it can lead to testicular problems of the baby, affecting his reproductive life in the future.
The research, led by Louise Scheutz Henriksen of the Department of Growth and Reproduction at Copenhagen University Hospital, was Posted in Total environmental science . In it, scholars evaluated 100 boys between 18 and 20 years oldwhose mothers provided blood samples to detect the presence of the phthalates. Next, the researchers analyzed the testicular function of the young men, looking at aspects such as sperm quality, reproductive hormone levels, testicular volume, among others, and compared them with the concentrations of the chemical in the mothers.
According to the findings published in the article, increased maternal exposure to phthalate was associated with a higher dosage of luteizing hormone (LH) and lower proportions of total and free testosterone, indicating that the effects of exposure to the substance during pregnancy may have long-term effects on your children. While this is still a first look at the problem, the research should encourage further study.
What are the phthalates and where they are present
You phthalates are a group of chemical compounds used as additives to make plastics more flexible and can be present in various products, such as PVC pipes, food packaging, cups, toys and even nail polish, moisturizers, deodorants and liquid soaps, as well as medical devices.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the phthalates as a “possible human carcinogen” (group 2B) and its use has been limited in recent years worldwide, although the chemical is still widely used in industry.
When looking at the product label, it is worth paying attention to its presence, in general with terms such as phthalates, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP) or, in Portuguese, as butyl, benzyl, diethyl, dioctyl, dibutyl, dicyclohexyl, diisodecyl and di-2-ethylhexyl. already the ones without phthalates they usually come with an indication “PVC Free” or “DEHP Free” ( Free HDPE, in English ). Another tip is to observe the number of plastics, those that present the greatest risk of containment and release phthalates are the numbers 1, 3 and 6.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
