Pfas, Bisphenol A, phthalates and parabens: substances present in plastics, cosmetics, pesticides and everyday products that could influence bone development already in the first few months of life.
The alarm is raised by a new Italian study presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague by researchers from the Universities of Parma, Florence and Messina together with the University Hospital of Parma and the Policlinico G. Martino of Messina, which highlighted a correlation between early exposure to endocrine disruptors and lower bone mineral density in newborns during the first year of life, a crucial phase for the formation of the skeleton and for future health.
The message that emerges is clear: what happens in the first months, and perhaps even before birth – underlines Maria Elisabeth Street, associate professor of Paediatrics at the University of Parma and pediatric endocrinologist at the Maggiore Hospital, leading the study – can significantly influence biological development. In this context, reducing exposure to potentially harmful substances becomes an increasingly relevant public health objective.”
Endocrine disruptors and risks for newborns
Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are chemical compounds capable of altering the normal functioning of the hormonal system. They are found in many everyday objects: plastic containers, food coatings, cosmetics, detergents, fabrics, pesticides and even some baby products.
Among the best known are:
These substances have long been under observation for possible effects on fertility, neurological development, metabolism and puberty. But their impact on bone development in newborns was still little studied.
The study
The researchers analyzed 52 different chemicals in the urine of 88 healthy newborns as young as one month old. At the same time they monitored bone mineral density from birth to the first year of life.
Measuring bone mineral density in newborns is very difficult due to technical, biological and practical barriers, explains Professor Street.
To overcome these difficulties the team used REMS (Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry) technology, an innovative ultrasound method, non-invasive and particularly suitable for children. The measurements were taken 48 hours after birth, then at one, three, six and twelve months.
The results showed that at least 21 chemical compounds were already detectable in one-month-old infants.
According to the study, higher levels of Bisphenol A were associated with lower bone density already at birth. Phthalates were linked to a reduction in bone mineral density at six and twelve months.
This association was most pronounced at 12 months when Bpa and different phthalates were considered in combination, the authors explain.
Some substances belonging to the Pfas family, including PFHxS, and parabens were also associated with lower bone density at different times in the first year of life.
A fact that is particularly worrying because skeletal development already begins during fetal life and continues rapidly in the months following birth.
Evidence suggests that EDCs may negatively impact skeletal development, which begins in fetal life and continues into childhood,” Professor Street further observes, “but very few studies have measured bone mineral density over the first 12 months and evaluated these chemical compounds at such an early age as we did.
Childhood as a “window of vulnerability”
The study was born from a project funded by the Ministry of Health with the aim of understanding how lifestyle, nutrition and environmental factors can influence the bone mineral density of mother and child starting from pregnancy.
And the results seem to clearly indicate that the first months of life represent an extremely delicate phase.
Childhood represents a window of vulnerability for environmental exposure and skeletal development – concludes Street – and this requires concrete measures to protect the bone health of future generations.
A reminder that goes beyond the single study and brings back to the center the issue of the regulation of chemical substances present in everyday products, especially those intended for pregnant women and children.
