In an article published on September 25, 2015 by the news provider Environmental Health News, journalist Brian Bienkoswki reports on a new study that links prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) to lower birth weight and longer duration of pregnancy in female newborns. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and conducted by researchers Almudena Veiga-Lopez and colleagues from the University of Michigan, U.S., and the New York State Department of Health, U.S.. The researchers measured levels of unconjugated BPA (uBPA) and glucuronidated BPA (gBPA) in the blood of 80 women during their first trimester of pregnancy and at delivery, as well as in umbilical cord blood at delivery. Higher uBPA levels in maternal blood during the first trimester of pregnancy were associated with lower birth weights in female newborns: A 2-fold increase in uBPA corresponded to 183 gram less birth weight. Also, higher uBPA levels in maternal blood at delivery were associated with longer duration of pregnancy for female newborns: A 2-fold increase in uBPA corresponded to a prolongation of pregnancy of 1.1 days. The researchers note that low birth weight is associated with adverse health outcomes and conclude that their study highlights the risk posed by prenatal exposure to BPA.
The study suggests that females might be more susceptible to prenatal BPA exposure than males. Similarly, a cohort study from China, published on September 15, 2015, linked prenatal exposure to increased levels of BPA to low birth weight and found that the association was more pronounced among female newborns than among male newborns (FPF reported).
Read more
Brian Bienkowski (September 25, 2015). “BPA linked to low birth weights in baby girls.” Environmental Health News
Reference
Veiga-Lopez, A. et al. (2015). “Gender-specific effects on gestational length and birth weight by early pregnancy BPA exposure.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (published online September 25, 2015).
