A ground-breaking report, entitled Plastics That May be Harmful to Children and Reproductive Health, is being released today by Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI). The lead author of this research report is John Wargo, Ph.D., professor of Risk Analysis and Environmental Policy at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, with two contributing authors from the Yale School of Medicine, Hugh S. Taylor, M.D., and Mark R. Cullen, M.D.
The study focuses on the health effects from two chemicals found in some plastics — bisphenol A (BPA) and the phthalate DEHP, are hormonally active in test animals, with BPA mimicking estrogen and DEHP blocking testosterone. Government-sponsored studies have found that BPA is biologically active in exceptionally small doses.
"Worse yet, BPA and DEHP are now present in the tissues of most people tested, with highest concentrations in children. If Congress, state and local governments follow our recommendations, human exposures could be significantly reduced,” Wargo added.
Normal breast cells exposed to low levels of BPA expressed genes characteristic of aggressive breast cancer cells, and exposures have shown reduced sperm production in mice. As for the phthalate DEHP, in the last several years, scientists have noted health effects in animals given low, environmentally relevant doses of DEHP.
Prenatal and lactational exposure to DEHP reduced daily sperm production and induced reproductive abnormalities in male offspring rats. Several studies reported an association between phthalate exposure and sperm damage in men. A study of low, environmentally relevant DEHP levels on testicular function reported that low levels of DEHP may shift the body's hormonal equilibrium to a higher level as the endocrine system struggles to overcome the anti-androgenic propensities of the chemical, has also been associated with allergic responses. Exposures to DEHP have produced enhanced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in mice at very low levels. Several recent studies report an association between DEHP and respiratory illness, including asthma. EHHI’s report lays out where many products containing both BPA and DEHP can be found and how consumers can try to avoid them.
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