Early puberty in girls related to chemicals in personal care products

A new US study found a link between chemicals in personal care products and early puberty.

The study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and published in the journal Human Reproduction, shows an association between phthalates, parabens and phenols and precocious puberty in girls.

Phthalates are used as fixing agents in scented products such as deodorants and perfumes, and to prevent cracking in nail polish.

They are also common in plastic packaging. Parabens are a family of compounds widely used as preservatives.

At the same time, phenols, including triclosan and benzophenone, are used to improve the durability of certain products and as antimicrobial agents.

This latest research shows that girls prenatally exposed to these compounds are more likely to have early puberty, and this risk is particularly high for girls of mothers exposed to diethyl phthalate and parabens.

Starting from the observation that girls are getting younger and younger, Professor Harley and her team analyzed the data of 338 mothers and their children, followed from birth to adolescence.

Mothers were interviewed for the first time during pregnancy, when their urine was tested for the first time. These data were then correlated with data on the developmental levels of their children aged 9 to 13 years.

The three compounds listed above were present in 90% of the samples, with the exception of triclosan (a type of phenol) that was detected in 73% of the samples taken from pregnant women.

The researchers found that higher concentrations of diethyl phthalate and triclosan in prenatal urine were associated with changes in the chronology of children's developmental stages.

In girls, it was associated with the early onset of pubic hair, one month and three weeks earlier than the usual baseline period, whenever the concentration was doubled.

The doubling of triclosan levels was associated with menstruation one month earlier than the average.

Previous research on rats has shown that phenols, parabens and phthalates are disruptors of the endocrine system that can interfere with the functioning of hormones in the body.

This study also highlights the potential impact that these chemicals can have on the natural development of children.