Exposure to phthalate during pregnancy can affect babies’ brain

FTALATES – Synthetic chemicals used in everyday products for food packaging, personal care, toys and others – have been associated with abnormal neurological development in babies.

Now scientists may have discovered a biological way to explain how this phenomenon occurs. Researchers found that exposure to phthalate during pregnancy is linked to changes in neurotransmitter and amino acid metabolism involved in brain maturation, according to a study published on Wednesday (2) in the magazine Nature Communications.

The report is the first to use unspealed metabolomic-the study of all small molecules or metabolites in a biological system-to connect maternal exposure to the fettles to the newborn metabolites, and these metabolites to neurological development, the senior author of the study, Dr. Donghai Liang, said by e-mail.

“This represents an important step further in understanding how prenatal chemical exhibitions shape child development at the molecular level,” added Liang, associate professor of environmental health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta.

First introduced in the 1920s, phthalates are used to make plastics softer and flexible, especially in vinyl polychloride products (PVC), such as vinyl floors, medical devices, children’s toys, food packaging or shower curtains. Chemicals also help lubricate substances and carry fragrances in various personal care products, including deodorant, enamel, perfumes, hair gels, sprays or shampoos, soaps and body lotions.

Ftlates are also endocrine deregulators that were associated with premature birth, child genital anomalies, childhood obesity, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular problems and low sperm count and testosterone in men.

“We have done this study because the phthalates are everywhere in our daily lives,” said Liang, hence his nickname “omnipresent chemicals.”

Damaging child health

The findings are based on mother-re-noded pairs enrolled in the African-American Atlanta maternal-in-American cohort between 2016 and 2018. In urine samples collected from 216 mothers between eight and 14 weeks of gestation on the first visit and 145 participants between 24 and 30 weeks of gestation on the second visit, the authors measured eight metabolites of fish. Participants were an average of 24 years, and their levels of some metabolites of ftlates were higher than the average determined by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Within a day or two after birth, the authors collected the blood of babies through a punch in the heel.

The team found that the prenatal levels of phthalate were associated with lower tyrosine, an amino acid and precursor of thyroxine thyroid hormone. Thyroxine was also abnormally low in those with intrauterine exposure to ftlates, and low thyroxine was previously associated with greater vulnerability to diseases and problems in neurological development in newborns, the authors said. Tyrosine is also a precursor of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine neurotransmitters, all of which partially contribute to the body’s struggle or escape response. Low levels of these neurotransmitters can lead to various problems, including anxiety, depression and difficulty concentration.

Prenatal exposure to phthalate has also been associated with lower levels of the essential amino acid tryptophan, which becomes 5-hydroxytryptophan (or 5-htp), which then turns into serotonin. Both 5-HTP and serotonin were also low. Serotonin has several critical body roles, including mood regulation, sleep, learning, memory, digestion and body response to stress. Previous research related low serotonin with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, sleep problems and digestive issues.

These biological changes were usually also associated with lower scores on tests that measure attention and excitability, or the ability to respond to stimuli, in the participants’ newborns, according to the study.

Vinyl Polychloride Plastic, primary use for ftlates, “continues to increase its use globally,” said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, director of the New York University Environmental Risk Research Center, which did not participate in the study. “We already know – not only in the brain development of babies, but in a series of consequences ranging from cradle to tomb, and from death to death – that ftlates, in the form of disease load due to plastic, cost the US $ 250 billion ($ 1.4 billion) annually.”

“This study only adds to a bulky evidence base that chemicals used in plastic materials damage human health,” Trasande added. “It’s not something we should discuss more actively. The wisest approach would be to discuss what we need to do about the use of plastic.”

The American Chemical Council, which represents chemical companies, said by e-mail that its panel of high molecular weight is “dedicated to promoting the benefits of high molecular weight ftlates such as DIDP and DINP.” High molecular weight phthalates have seven or more carbon atoms. The study did not measure DIDP (diisodecil) and dinp (diisononyl phthalate), but some of the ftalacts identified in the study were high molecular weight phtlates.

More research is necessary

The study has some important limitations, including the lack of information about the participants’ diet or whether their births were vaginal or caesarean sections, factors that may significantly affect both the exposure to the newborn ftlates and metabolites, the authors said. In addition, about 10% of participants reported using alcohol during pregnancy, while 15% reported using tobacco and 40% reported using marijuana. No details on frequency, quantity or duration of use of these substances were collected.

Adverse results in pregnancy related to environmental contaminants may also be influenced by psychological or social stressors that the study could not consider.

“The size of the sample is small, of course, (but) is a complicated and expensive study of driving first,” said Trasande. “There may be multiple mechanisms by which phthalates disturb brain development.”

The need for change

So that people can avoid exposure to ftlates and other chemicals, experts are asking for changes to manufacturers and legislators.

“I am part of the coalition of scientists for an effective treaty on plastics (and us) we are suggesting the prohibition of ftlates as a group due to their toxicity demonstrated and because they can have very low doses,” said ecotoxicologist Dr. Susanne Brander, associated professor at the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University. Brander did not participate in the study.

Some manufacturers are creating new plastic additives that expect to be safer, but they may be as problematic as we are using now, Trasande said. “The burden needs to fall on manufacturers to prove that materials… are proven safely before they are used.”

Meanwhile, people can reduce their exposure to phthalate using glass, stainless steel or cast iron and not using non -stick utensils or heating or washing plastic materials on the dishwasher, Trasande said. “Microwave” means that the container will be fine, not its food – as it can absorb microscopic particles, he added.

When buying personal care products, look for those labeled as “FTALATE FREE” and check the ingredient lists, Liang said. Ftlates may be listed as DEP (dietyl phthalate), DBP (Dibutyl Ftalact) or BBZP (benzilbutilla ftalato). You can use the Skindeep Database of the Environmental Working Group to check which chemicals a product may contain.

“Because phthalates can be found in domestic dust, improving air circulation and cleaning regularly with a damp cloth can help,” he added.

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This content was originally published on exposure to ftlates during pregnancy can affect babies’ brain on CNN Brazil.

Source: CNN Brasil