19.10.2017 Early Puberty in Girls – Is There a Connection to Plastics?

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Early Puberty in Girls – Is There a Connection to Plastics?

Yesterday, the NY Times Magazine ran a fascinating yet disturbing story about a growing
trend – young girls going through puberty, way before their time. In the story, the Times
explores how early puberty is e ecting girls and their families across the country, and what
parents, doctors and scientists are doing to address this troubling issue.

Here at CHEJ, we’re particularly interested in the question of whether there is a link
between early puberty in girls and exposure to toxic chemicals. The Times Magazine
explores this and found:

“In addition, animal studies show that the exposure to some environmental chemicals
can cause bodies to mature early. Of particular concern are endocrine-disrupters, like
“xeno-estrogens” or estrogen mimics. These compounds behave like steroid hormones
and can alter puberty timing.”

The Falling Age of Puberty

A few years ago, ecologist and author Sandra Steingraber authored a noteworthy report for
the Breast Cancer Fund, The Falling Age of Puberty, What We Know, What We Need to
Know. The report, the rst comprehensive review of the literature on the timing of puberty,
found:

“Girls today get their rst periods, on average, a few months earlier than did girls 40
year ago, but they get their breasts one to two years earlier. Over the course of a few
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19.10.2017 Early Puberty in Girls – Is There a Connection to Plastics? - Center for Health, Environment & Justice

decades, the childhoods of U.S. girls have been signi cantly shortened.

What does this mean for girls today and their health in the future? We know that early
puberty is a known risk factor for breast cancer and other mental and physical health
problems. We need to better understand what’s causing early puberty so that we can
protect the health of our children now and as they age.”

The role that endocrine disrupting chemicals like dioxin and phthalates may play is very
complex. The Advocates Guide to the report, notes that:

“We know that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are a possible cause of early puberty but
we also know that exposure to these chemicals in utero or early in life can also lead to
low birth weight and obesity, which are themselves possible causes of early puberty.”

The report is a must read for anyone concerned about this pressing public health and
social issue.

Early Puberty and Phthalates – Is there a Connection?

While the NY Times story discusses some of the science examining exposure to BPA, not
much attention is paid to another endocrine disrupting class of chemicals – phthalates,
which have also been linked to early puberty in girls. Over 90% of all phthalates are used in
PVC plastic products, like those found in our nation’s schools. Studies have found young
girls face some of the highest phthalate exposures.

A landmark study published by researchers from Puerto Rico found:

“Premature breast development (thelarche) is the growth of mammary tissue in girls

younger than 8 years of age without other manifestations of puberty. Puerto Rico has
the highest known incidence of premature thelarche ever reported. In the last two
decades since this serious public health anomaly has been observed, no explanation for
this phenomenon has been found. Some organic pollutants, including pesticides and
some plasticizers, can disrupt normal sexual development in wildlife, and many of these
have been widely used in Puerto Rico… The phthalates that we identi ed have been
classi ed as endocrine disruptors. This study suggests a possible association between
plasticizers with known estrogenic and antiandrogenic activity and the cause of
premature breast development in a human female population.”

Another study published in 2009 also found a link between early breast development and
phthalate exposure among girls in Taiwan.

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19.10.2017 Early Puberty in Girls – Is There a Connection to Plastics? - Center for Health, Environment & Justice

While these studies did not nd causation, they certainly raise a whole lot of questions
about the role phthalates may possibly play in early puberty among girls today.

Other studies have found a link between phthalate exposure and obesity, which is a prime
suspect in the early puberty mystery. Dioxins and organotins, both of which are also
released by PVC plastics, have also been linked to obesity.

We’ll be sure to be following this issue and the science around it in the months and years
to come.

What do you think about this issue, and whether chemicals released by plastics may
possibly be a cause?

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About the Author: Mike Schade

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