Wee Wee

Phthalates linked to abnormal genitalia in baby boys

Posted at 1:33 PM on 03 Oct 2008

Mothers exposed to high levels of phthalates during pregnancy are more likely to bear sons with abnormal genitals, says new environmental research published in the journal Environmental Research. (See what we did there?) The study looked at only 106 mothers and sons, and the afflictions -- undescended testicles, smaller penises, and a shorter anogenital distance -- aren't serious problems in and of themselves. But the results, combined with previous studies linking phthalates to reduced sperm quality, DNA damage, hormonal changes, reduced lung function, and premature puberty, make researchers understandably wary. (The American Chemistry Council is decidedly not wary, declaring on its website, "There is no reliable evidence that any phthalate has ever caused a health problem for a human from its intended use.") Phthalates are in all kinds of things -- sex toys, baby items, and yoga mats, to name a few -- via which they make their way into drinking water, breast milk, and household dust.

source: USA Today
see also, in Grist: Congress agrees on product-safety bill banning phthalates

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Comments: (5 comments)

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Will Make Couples Think...

...next time they warm things up by starting foreplay with the foot massager bought from the local "Natural Body" store.

...if there are self made Purgatories, then we all have to live in them.
--"This Side of Paradise", TOS

by jabailo at 2:01 AM on 04 Oct 2008

Thank God I was breastfed!!

(checks)Yep, looks like no influence of plastic bottles here.

On the other hand. The current american generation has been handed every bite they ever took from a plastic container chock full of phthalates. Then all their toys were soft plastic and probably the bed they slept on was coated in the stuff.

Not a good prospect for domestic tranquility.

Put the Carbon Back

by Pangolin at 2:38 AM on 04 Oct 2008

brings up gender issues in a big way

It's pretty noticeable for men and women alike (if the gals swing that way) when a man's 'gear' is on the small size - and very regrettable if this is attributable the plastics he was exposed to from the periods in utero through puberty. What I'm guessing is being in overlooked is the same kind of effect showing up in girls. That is is to say a too-small, impossible-to-find clitoris. Yet, this still sort of appearance files under 'feminine' and therefore socially acceptable (if sexually deleterious). So, to the extent that policy makers and industry actually give a crap about male sexual health, they might get off their butts and do something. Females will benefit by proxy, but no one's going to get off their buts to save the endangered clitoris, I'd hazard to say.

by DannyGirl at 4:16 PM on 04 Oct 2008

More common than you know..

Happened to 2 of my nephews. And yes, it can happen to your sons....

And you'd think by messing with the family jewels it would get people's attention. However, we all think it won't touch us, or someone close to us. Let's not think about chemicals in plastic because hey, they make our lives so much easier and it's not going to happen to us....

by Masked Goddess at 9:04 AM on 06 Oct 2008

other plasticisers

Besides phthalates, there are many other petrochemicals added to plastics to make them softer or more flexible. Some of them are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors, like phthalates and Bisphenol A; the health effects of others have not even been studied. Even less is known about the effects of combinations of these substances. We ingest cocktails of them daily and it's likely they're even worse that way.

T. G.

by vanini at 6:18 AM on 10 Oct 2008

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