The Villain Gets Nastier

Introduction

The toxin bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastics, dental sealants and grocery receipts. It is a known hormone disrupter. But its impact on the hormones produced by the thyroid gland remain unknown. These hormones are essential for cognitive development of children.

A correlation between the levels of the toxin in urine of pregnant women and the level of thyroid hormones in their blood and that of their children showed that for each doubling of BPA levels, there was a decrease of 0.13 microgrammes per decilitre of total thyroxine in mothers, indicating hypothyroidism.

For newborn boys, each doubling of BPA levels was linked to a 9.9 per cent decrease in thyroid-stimulating hormone, indicating hyperthyroidism.

Source

Down To Earth, October 2012