
Persistent Associations Between Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Child IQ - igonvalue
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0114003
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at-fates-hands
Just in case you have no idea (like myself) what Phthalates are:

[http://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/phthalates_factsheet.html](http://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/phthalates_factsheet.html)

 _Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and
harder to break. They are often called plasticizers. Some phthalates are used
as solvents (dissolving agents) for other materials. They are used in hundreds
of products, such as vinyl flooring, adhesives, detergents, lubricating oils,
automotive plastics, plastic clothes (raincoats), and personal-care products
(soaps, shampoos, hair sprays, and nail polishes).

Phthalates are used widely in polyvinyl chloride plastics, which are used to
make products such as plastic packaging film and sheets, garden hoses,
inflatable toys, blood-storage containers, medical tubing, and some children's
toys._

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CodeWriter23
You can add perfume and cologne to that list of personal-care products too.

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tokenadult
I wish this study had been a multi-center study, so that children from more
than one place were assessed. At least the study is longitudinal, measuring
blood levels in the mother late in pregnancy, and then following up with the
children at age seven (a very good age to choose for a first IQ test, because
by that age child IQ scores on the WISC are stable enough to use for research
of this kind). I see this is research funded by the United States federal
government. It will be good to look for replication of this finding,
especially in samples from other countries, to see if the finding generalizes
to populations outside of New York City, the place where these children were
assessed.

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faitswulff
@exhiliration posted a more approachable article
([http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/chemical-
phthalate...](http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/chemical-phthalates-
food-packaging-linked-lower-iq-kids-n265721)) that says:

> South Korean studies have shown kids ages 8 to 11 who have higher evidence
> of phthalates in their urine were less attentive and more likely to be
> hyperactive. They also had measurably lower IQs. Another study found they
> might be associated with obesity in teenagers.

So it is, at the very least, not the only study or the only country linking
phthalates to lower IQ.

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exhilaration
I thought this writeup was easier to understand:
[http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/chemical-
phthalate...](http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/chemical-phthalates-
food-packaging-linked-lower-iq-kids-n265721)

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te
My kids drink out of plastic water bottles all day long, both at school and
then at soccer practice in the evening. What is the safest material for water
bottles? Is BPA-free good enough?

~~~
thrownaway2424
Your kids will survive without carrying around bottles of water all the time.
When I was a kid (before all you people started standing on my lawn
constantly) we had water fountains at school and the coach brought coolers of
tap water to the sports field. You know, one of these.

[http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-1631/Breakroom-
Supplie...](http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-1631/Breakroom-
Supplies/Igloo-10-Gallon-Water-
Cooler?pricode=WY520&gadtype=pla&id=H-1631&gclid=Cj0KEQiAwaqkBRDHx6rzxMqAobgBEiQAxJazJ4a0NaI6IRIP2yDnSb9PXViTrSjiLOIwp6CbnJkD3LkaAsjj8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds)

I'm not sure when the trend of people (not just children) being in the
constant company of a bottle of water started. It's certainly not necessary
for healthy people who are doing anything other than crossing open country on
foot.

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sp332
I think bottled water is more convenient than that thing.

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gohrt
Where did the mothers get the phthalates from? What kinds of products promote
bio-absorption of packaing phthalates? Are phthalates in packaging correlated
to certain kinds of (perhaps brain-unhealthy?) foods?

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Htsthbjig
PVC and Poliestyrene(beautiful transparent plastic)that also adds phisphenol
like hormone disruptor.

You find most PVC on drain pipes and windows because it is so cheap.

PVC leak phthalates and other plastic additives to the environment over time.

I avoid those things as much as I can for me and my family. My windows are
made from aluminum. My plastic bottles are from ugly Polietylene or PP, but I
try to use glass if I can.

~~~
dzhiurgis
Looks like only HDPE, rather than regular PE is safe.

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ChikkaChiChi
Post hoc ergo propter hoc. Everything I've read indicates that this warrants
more investigation, but causality has not yet been assigned.

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gohrt
That's what "association" means.

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duaneb
To people trained in the scientific process, maybe, but most people will hear
an implied causality.

~~~
clarkmoody
Let's just hope that we don't get knee-jerk draconian regulatory/legislative
response.

