<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Two studies have linked prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals with different health outcomes later in life. The first study links prenatal phthalate exposure to reduced childhood lung function between the ages of 4 and 11. The second study found an association between prenatal exposure to benzophenone-3 (BP3) and higher body mass index and diastolic blood pressure at 11 years of age.</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Phthalates are chemical compounds that are widely used as plasticisers, as well as in lacquers and varnishes. They are found in various consumer products, ranging from toys to food packaging, clothing, detergents, cosmetics, solvents, etc. Over time, phthalates in these products leach into the surrounding environment -- for example, into the air, dust and food -- making them virtually ubiquitous.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moreover, human exposure to phthalates starts as early as in utero, given that these compounds are able to cross the placental barrier. Phthalates act as endocrine disruptors and have been associated with numerous developmental and reproductive health problems.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Research has consistently found that gestational phthalate exposure is associated with increased risk of childhood asthma, but the evidence on its possible association with lung function is scarce and unclear," explained ISGlobal researcher Magda Bosch de Basea, lead author of the study.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The study included 641 mother-child pairs from the INMA Project birth cohorts in Sabadell and Gipuzkoa. Gestational phthalate exposure was analysed using urine samples collected from the mothers during pregnancy. The children's lung function was assessed by spirometry at various stages of development between the ages of four and eleven years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As an indication of the ubiquity of these compounds, laboratory analyses detected all nine of the studied phthalate metabolites -- i.e. substances into which phthalates are transformed once metabolised by the human body -- in nearly 100% of the urine samples examined.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At all stages of development, the studied metabolites were associated with decreases in two lung function parameters: forced vital capacity (FVC), which measures the maximum volume of air a person is able to exhale, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), which measures the maximum exhaled volume in the first second of exhalation. However, the researchers found that the associations between certain metabolites (e.g.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">MiBP and MBzP) and decreased lung function were generally statistically significant only at younger ages, but not in spirometries performed in later years. This pattern is consistent with the findings of studies in animal models suggesting that the possible effects of these compounds on lung function revert over time. HT</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>