BPA, Hyperactivity, And Aggression In Toddlers

The BPA battle continues with blame placed on hyperactivity and aggression in 2-year-old girls.

Think the 'terrible twos' are bad enough? Try adding in some BPA and then see what happens. The list of harmful side effects just gets longer(see Health News: What's In Your Bottle? and Bottle Blues blog), as BPA present in the mother's system during pregnancy is now being blamed for aggressive behavior and hyperactivity in female toddlers (no significant effect was found among boys).

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, tested 249 mothers, and found that almost all had significant amounts of BPA in their urine for at least one of the three tests. Each mother was also given a Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2 test to determine adaptive and behavioral problems at home and in the community. Of the 249 tests taken a "statistically significant result was found" correlating the presence of BPA and at risk behavior.

A few questions remain unanswered: Why only girls and not boys? Why not test a larger group? And why no control group? But in the meantime keep harmful chemicals out of your body, and make sure the bottles you buy are BPA free, or follow the safety tips in the Health News article linked to above. Also, watch out for containers with  recycle code #7, as those likely contain BPA as well. As studies into the effects of BPA continue, what will they discover next? Stay tuned!

-Jordan Olmsted

BPA Linked To Behavior Problems (SF Gate: The Thin Green Line)

Environmental Health Perspectives