Pregnant women who have been exposed to higher levels of bisphenol A (BPA) may be more likely to have children with wheezing and poorer lung function . This is the conclusion that has been reached in a study, still unpublished, recently presented at the International Congress of the European Respiratory Society and led by Alicia Abellán, predoctoral researcher at the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal).
BPA is a type of phenol used in the manufacture of food packaging , plastic bottles, toys, and some types of paper. It has been the object of study and has been placed in the eye of the hurricane because there are scientists who point out that it can act as an endocrine disruptor, that is, interfering with the hormonal system. “Phenols are chemicals that we are continually exposed to in our daily lives and BPA is the most commonly used phenol . Phenols are known as ‘endocrine disruptors’, which means that they can interfere with the hormonal system and, consequently, alter many essential bodily functions, including the respiratory and immune systems, ”says Abellán.
“When babies are still in the womb, they are especially vulnerable to these substances because they have not yet established the ability to eliminate toxic substances, and their respiratory and immune systems are still developing,” Abellán said.
The study studied 2,685 pairs of mothers with their children. Mothers’ exposure to BPA and other phenols was measured from a urine sample taken during pregnancy. Regarding lung function and wheezing in children, the former was measured when they were between 6 and 10 years old, and the latter by means of questionnaires to determine whether they were wheezing or not.
It was found that 79% of pregnant women had detectable amounts of phenol BPA in their urine . Other less frequently used phenols such as bisphenol S and F were also found (in fewer women). Abellán’s team found that women who had higher levels of BPA in their urine were 13% more likely to have children with wheezing Also, the doubling of BPA in the mother’s urine sample was related to an estimated 5 ml decrease in the child’s lung capacity.
A possible weakness of the work is that the researchers used only one or two urine samples per woman , which only gives an idea of recent exposure to phenols. In contrast, the research team has been collecting data from eight different European studies with large numbers of participants.
“Our research doesn’t tell us exactly how the two are related, but previous research in animals has shown that prenatal exposure to BPA can stunt developing lungs and impact the immune system. It may be that these chemicals interact with the hormonal signals in the growing baby and alter the correct development of the immune and respiratory systems ”.
“Currently, there is no general consensus on a safe level of exposure to phenols , but recently the general court of the EU classified BPA among the list of chemicals’ of very high concern,” said the researcher.
Daiana Stolz, a professor at the University Hospital of Basel and president of the Council of Education of the European Respiratory Society who was not involved in this study, pointed out that this research suggests that exposure to BPA in utero can cause small differences in lung function of the kids. Stolz stated that although these effects may not have much of an impact on healthy children, they are very important when considering the health of an entire population.
Daiana Stolz calls on doctors to be aware of the effect that these commonly used chemicals could have on the early stages of a baby’s development as well as on the health of the population. The latter explains it because having worse lung function in the first years of life makes people more likely to suffer from chronic lung diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). However, more research is needed to confirm the relationship between phenol exposure and respiratory damage . Also to know if the mixtures of chemical products in the environment have an effect on respiratory health.
References: [1] Abstract No. OA4969, Prenatal exposure to phenols and lung function, wheeze, and asthma in school-age children from 8 European birth cohorts. of 8 birth cohorts), by Alicia Abellán et al .; “Early origins of respiratory diseases and later life consequences” session, 3:30 PM CEST on Tuesday, October 1, room N101 + 102.
