Exposure to chemicals found in everyday plastics during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of children developing autistic and ADHD traits, research has claimed.<\/p>\n
A lengthy study conducted at Florey Institution of Neuroscience and Mental Health claims to have established a link between the chemical DEHP and neurodivergent conditions.<\/p>\n
Started in 2010, the study focused on 800 Australian families, tracking them from the mother\u2019s pregnancy through to the formative years of the children.<\/p>\n
Through urine samples taken at late-term pregnancy, researchers were able to ascertain the DEHP exposure levels of the mothers while carrying their children.<\/p>\n
And through a series of check-ins throughout their development, they were then able to track which children had developed symptoms of autism and ADHD.<\/p>\n
The research then found that the children whose mothers had greater levels of exposure during pregnancy had developed the most traits \u2013 establishing what researchers believe to be a link.<\/p>\n
And the study\u2019s latest report not only establishes the link, but claims to be able to explain why this happens.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur study found infants exposed to higher levels of DEHP before birth showed distinctive changes in DNA methylation \u2013 an epigenetic switch that turns genes on and off \u2013 in their umbilical cord blood at birth,\u201d lead author Sam Tanner said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have found is a possible biological explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study found that exposure to the chemical likely triggered this \u201cswitch\u201d, making the gene that produces neurodivergent traits active, resulting in the child developing symptoms.<\/p>\n
Prof Anne-Louise Ponsonby, another of the study\u2019s authors, said its goal was to better understand the impact chemicals found in plastic have on people \u2013 which can then inform decision-makers on what regulations are needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost all women in this Australian study showed exposure to the common DEHP chemical,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cChemical exposure levels are mainly determined at the population level and are not easily a matter of choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlastic chemicals like DEHP are often ingested, so government safety regulations around food processing and packaging are very important.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is DEHP?<\/p>\n
DEHP. or Di- (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate to give it its full scientific name, is a manufactured chemical which is used to make plastic products more flexible.<\/p>\n
It is found in several commonly used household products, including things like food containers, cling wrap and food processing equipment.<\/p>\n
It is also often found in shower curtains, non-slip bath mats and some types of vinyl flooring.<\/p>\n
Prof Ponsonby said that generally, it finds its way into our bodies through no real fault of our own, with it not always being clear how and when exposure has happened.<\/p>\n
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has already taken some measures to limit exposure to the chemical \u2013 banning toys that contain more than one per cent DEHP.<\/p>\n
But researchers are calling for further measures to limit people being exposed to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlobal plastic control efforts should take into consideration the recent evidence as it emerges on the need for health protection, particularly for vulnerable populations such as pregnant woman and young babies,\u201d Prof Ponsonby said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exposure to chemicals found in everyday plastics during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of children developing autistic and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":889071,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[458680,458710,454869,458692,414133,458693,391582,458683,437592,458734,458712,458711,376435,389632,458703,458723,458679,64,63,458709,458690,458742,458704,12954,32092,283592,458708,29808,502,11276,458691,47045,397182,15912,113583,38138,458737,1620,261581,458743,53297,458681,458689,458682,458720,1622,458697,458699,458740,137,458739,458741,385047,458736,458701,399622,458719,458733,458725,458713,458730,458721,458717,391543,453034,429813,1861,4930,244101,458696,41414,2169,458688,458687,51702,337,10445,458707,458738,458685,458732,2286,22193,458731,458684,458702,378538,458695,458705,458706,458715,458726,458714,452471,433274,458718,384557,458727,376541,458724,458700,384331,458686,413328,458716,458694,458698,18705,458722,458729,251940,458735,458728],"class_list":["post-889070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-s-authors","tag-s-latest-report","tag-s-pregnancy","tag-2-ethylhexyl","tag-414133","tag-800-australian-families","tag-a-matter","tag-a-lengthy-study","tag-a-link","tag-a-link-and","tag-a-manufactured-chemical","tag-a-possible-biological-explanation","tag-a-series","tag-a-study","tag-adhd-the-research","tag-almost-all-women","tag-an-epigenetic-switch","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-competition-and","tag-autism-and","tag-autism-risk","tag-autistic-and-adhd-traits","tag-birth","tag-cent","tag-check-ins","tag-chemical-exposure-levels","tag-chemicals","tag-children","tag-choice","tag-cling-wrap-and-food-processing-equipment-it","tag-consideration","tag-consumer-commission","tag-decision-makers","tag-dehp","tag-di","tag-distinctive-changes","tag-dna-methylation","tag-everyday-items","tag-everyday-plastics","tag-exposure","tag-florey-institution","tag-food-containers","tag-food-processing-and-packaging","tag-further-measures","tag-genes","tag-global-plastic-control-efforts","tag-government-safety-regulations","tag-greater-levels","tag-health","tag-health-protection","tag-higher-levels","tag-infants","tag-its-full-scientific-name","tag-its-goal","tag-its-way","tag-late-term-pregnancy","tag-lead-author-sam-tanner","tag-more-than-one","tag-neurodivergent-traits","tag-neuroscience-and-mental-health","tag-no-real-fault","tag-non-slip-bath-mats","tag-our-bodies","tag-our-own","tag-our-study","tag-people","tag-plastic","tag-plastic-chemicals","tag-plastic-exposure","tag-plastic-products","tag-pregnancy","tag-pregnant-woman","tag-prof-ponsonby","tag-regulations","tag-research","tag-researchers","tag-several-commonly-used-household-products","tag-shower-curtains","tag-some-measures","tag-some-types","tag-study","tag-symptoms","tag-the-chemical","tag-the-chemical-dehp-and-neurodivergent-conditions-started","tag-the-child-developing-symptoms-prof-anne-louise-ponsonby","tag-the-children","tag-the-children-through","tag-the-common-dehp-chemical","tag-the-dehp-exposure-levels","tag-the-formative-years","tag-the-gene","tag-the-impact-chemicals","tag-the-likelihood","tag-the-link","tag-the-most-traits","tag-the-mother","tag-the-mothers","tag-the-need","tag-the-population-level","tag-the-recent-evidence","tag-the-study","tag-their-children-and","tag-their-development","tag-their-umbilical-cord-blood","tag-this-switch","tag-this-australian-study","tag-toys","tag-urine-samples","tag-vinyl-flooring-prof-ponsonby","tag-vulnerable-populations","tag-whose-mothers","tag-young-babies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889070\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/889071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=889070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=889070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}