One Common Plastic Ingredient May Affect Children Before They're Born
The author told Newsweek this study offers stronger evidence for how a common plastic chemical may affect development.
A recent study published in Med has found a potential link between prenatal exposure to a common plasticizer called DEHP and autism or ADHD-related symptoms in children. The research, conducted by scientists in Australia, analyzed data from over 800 children and discovered that higher levels of prenatal DEHP exposure were associated with specific DNA methylation patterns in umbilical cord blood.
These epigenetic alterations could help explain the connection between DEHP exposure and later neurodevelopmental issues. While the findings suggest a possible mechanism through which prenatal exposure to DEHP may influence neurodevelopment, experts caution that this does not necessarily prove that DEHP causes autism or ADHD. The study adds to previous research linking prenatal phthalate exposure with neurodevelopmental outcomes and emphasizes the need to understand modern environmental drivers of complex diseases like autism.
Brief written by urgent.news from Newsweek's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
