On June 30, 2014 news provider St.Louis Post-Dispatch published an article reporting on a new study finding bisphenol A (BPA) exposure to feminize male turtles. Sexual differentiation of turtles is normally controlled by the environmental temperature during egg development. Exposing the egg to a solution of BPA, overrode the effect of temperature the researcher from the University of Missouri report. Sharon Deem, lead researcher of the study, states in the article that the feminization is likely to result in an inability to reproduce in affected turtles. Further, the findings indicate the potential for similar effects in humans.
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Blythe Bernhard (June 30, 2014). “Male turtles are feminized by chemical found in plastics.” St.Louis Post-Dispatch
