Plastic turns boys into "nancy boys."

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:55:05 -0800 (PST), RichA
wrote:

BBC:

Toxins in plastic 'feminise boys'

Chemicals in plastics alter the brains of baby boys making them "more
feminine", say US researchers.

Males exposed to high doses in the womb went on to be less likely to
play with boys' toys like cars or to join in rough and tumble games,
they found.

The University of Rochester team's latest work adds to concerns about
the safety of phthalates, found in vinyl flooring and PVC shower
curtains.

The findings are reported in the International Journal of Andrology.

Plastic furniture

Phthalates have the ability to disrupt hormones, and have been banned
in toys in the EU for some years.

However, they are still widely used in many different household items,
including plastic furniture and packaging.

There are many different types and some mimic the female hormone
oestrogen.
“ This feminising capacity of phthalates makes them true 'gender
benders' ”
Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of CHEM Trust

The same researchers have already shown that this can mean boys are
born with genital abnormalities.

Now they say certain phthalates also impact on the developing brain,
by knocking out the action of the male hormone testosterone.

Dr Shanna Swan and her team tested urine samples from mothers over
midway through pregnancy for traces of phthalates.

The women, who gave birth to 74 boys and 71 girls, were followed up
when their children were aged four to seven and asked about the toys
the youngsters played with and the games they enjoyed.

Girls' play

They found that two phthalates DEHP and DBP can affect play behaviour.

Boys exposed to high levels of these in the womb were less likely than
other boys to play with cars, trains and guns or engage in "rougher"
games like playfighting.
PHTHALATES
# There are many different types and the most commonly used are deemed
entirely safe by regulators
# DEHP - used to make PVC soft and pliable and used in products like
flooring
# DBP - used as a plasticiser in glues, dyes and textiles

Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of the chemicals campaign group CHEM
Trust, said the results were worrying.

"We now know that phthalates, to which we are all constantly exposed,
are extremely worrying from a health perspective, leading to
disruption of male reproduction health and, it appears, male behaviour
too.

"This feminising capacity of phthalates makes them true 'gender
benders'."

She acknowledged that the boys who have been studied were still young,
but she said reduced masculine play at this age might lead to other
feminised developments in later life.

But Tim Edgar, of the European Council for Plasticisers and
Intermediates, said: "We need to get some scientific experts to look
at this study in more detail before we can make a proper judgement."

He said there were many different phthalates in use and the study
concerned two of the less commonly used types that were on the EU
candidate list as potentially hazardous and needing authorisation for
use.

DBP has been banned from use in cosmetics, such as nail varnish, since
2005 in the EU.

A more detailed article on the science:

http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/...ss_m asculine

or

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yfoskgk