A new study published in the September issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Epidemiology finds links between prenatal exposure to parabens and triclosan and disrupted fetal and early childhood growth in boys. A press release published on September 2, 2014 by the French Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherché Medical (INSERM), one of the research institutes which took part in the project, reports that bisphenol A (BPA) was not associated with significant modification of growth. For the study the researchers analyzed maternal urine samples of 520 mother-son pairs included in the EDEN mother-child cohort for parabens, triclosan, benzophenone-3 and BPA. More than 95% of pregnant women participating in the study were exposed to one or more of the analyzed substances. Weight and height of the 520 boys were measured both during pregnancy and in the first 3 years of age. Triclosan, an antimicrobial also used in food contact materials (FCMs), was found to be negatively correlated with growth parameters measured in the third trimester of pregnancy and head circumference at birth. Parabens were associated with increased weight at birth and 3 years of age.
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INSERM (September 2, 2014). “Exposure of pregnant women to certain phenols may disrupt the growth of boys during foetal development and the first years of life.”
Reference
Philippat,C., et al. (2014). “Prenatal exposure to phenols and growth in boys.” Epidemiology 25 (5).
