BPA Messes With Pregnant Women's Hormones

A new study has uncovered yet another potential health pitfall of Bisphenol A, finding that the controversial chemical can alter thyroid growth hormones in pregnant women and newborn boys, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. They say more study is necessary to determine what effect that might have, but the finding will add fuel to the fire surrounding the ubiquitous chemical, which has previously been linked to cardiovascular disease, miscarriages, breast and prostate cancer, and reproductive dysfunction.

The study involved 476 women in Salinas, most of them Mexican American immigrants under 30 who'd given birth to more than one child. "A couple studies have looked at BPA possibly influencing thyroid hormones, but nobody's looked at it in pregnant women," says one independent expert. "That makes the study important." Avoiding BPA in the US is nearly impossible; it's found in plastic bottles, the lining on canned food, dental sealants, receipts, and more. (More bisphenol A stories.)