A study with Granada participation links plastics and cosmetics to lower childhood IQ
Topics University of Granada
Researchers from ibs.GRANADA and the Universidad de Granada, together with the French INSERM, associate pregnant women's exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates with an IQ three points lower in their children at age 3.
The children of pregnant women exposed to certain chemical compounds present in plastics and cosmetics score on average three points lower in IQ at age 3. This is indicated by a study by researchers from the Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA) and the Universidad de Granada, in collaboration with the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
What was measured and in whom
The research analyzed mothers and children from the French SEPAGES cohort, carried out between 2014 and 2018 and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). Urine was collected from the pregnant women and their babies, and the concentration of endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, used in food packaging such as cans, in plastics in general and in cosmetics, was measured.
Three points lower per unit
After taking into account factors such as the mother's age, weight, socioeconomic level, intelligence and lifestyle habits, children exposed during the third trimester of pregnancy to higher concentrations of the mixture of plastic pollutants showed a lower IQ. Specifically, the children showed an average of three points lower in IQ for each unit increase in the concentration of that mixture of pollutants.
Who signs it
The work is signed by researchers from ibs.GRANADA and the Universidad de Granada together with the French INSERM, and has been published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
