A study published in Environment International found that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) in utero leads to a greater risk of asthma among girls.
However, exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) did not appear associated with overall lung function, nor did it appear to impact asthma and wheeze in boys.
“Bisphenols are produced in large quantities worldwide and are present in many daily life products. Thus, there is widespread exposure to them,” Alicia Abellán, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at Barcelona Institute for Global Health, told Healio.
“Of concern, these chemicals can cross the placenta and may alter critical developing processes in the fetus,” Abellán continued. “Recently, the European Food Safety Authority named bisphenol A ‘a substance of very high concern.’”
BPA is an endocrine disruptor found in the plastics and resins of many consumer products. Diet is the primary source of exposure. In addition to crossing the placenta, it also is found in breastmilk, exposing fetuses and newborns to its effects.
The researchers examined 3,008 mother-child pairs recruited between 1999 and 2010 from eight population-based birth cohorts in Europe. Concentrations of BPA as well as BPA substitutes bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) were measured in these pairs via maternal urine samples.
