PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Phthalate exposure linked to preterm birth

2013-11-19
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Laurel Thomas Gnagey
ltgnagey@umich.edu
734-647-1841
University of Michigan
Phthalate exposure linked to preterm birth ANN ARBOR—The odds of preterm birth for women exposed to a commonly used class of chemicals known as phthalates are increased significantly, according to a new study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Depending on the individual phthalate, women with the highest levels of exposure during pregnancy had two-to-five times the odds of preterm birth, compared to women with the lowest exposure.

Before interventions can be implemented, however, more must be known about how phthalates interact with pregnancy, their potential association with women delivering early, and where exposures are coming from, the researchers caution.

"Preterm birth is a major public health challenge. Rates are significantly higher than they were 20 years ago and we don't know why. Other interventions have had limited effectiveness, and this helps shed light on a potential for environmental influences," said John Meeker, associate professor of environmental health sciences and associate dean for research at the U-M School of Public Health, who is the principal investigator of the study. "Next, we need to look at how pregnant women are exposed, and at what stage of pregnancy, to help inform exposure and risk prevention strategies."

Phthalates are used to make plastic materials more flexible and as solvents in personal care products such as perfumes, deodorants and lotions. They are found in food, adhesives, vinyl flooring, plastic shower curtains, some medications and more.

Meeker and colleagues studied 482 individuals selected from a larger population of pregnant women who delivered at the Brigham and Women's Hospital from 2006-08. For each woman, phthalate levels were measured in urine samples taken from up to three time points during pregnancy. The 130 mothers who delivered prior to 37 weeks showed significantly higher concentrations of four of nine phthalate metabolites that were measured in the study.

Dr. Thomas McElrath, a physician-scientist and key co-investigator on the study, developed and leads the original cohort study upon which this work is based in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"This is by no means the cause of premature birth, but it is a possible contributor— which is important because it is potentially modifiable," McElrath said. "This finding may be dramatic but women should not be alarmed. This is only the first step in a long research process that will be needed to clarify and confirm these results. It is simply too early to suggest making changes in prenatal care based on this study."

Kelly Ferguson, doctoral student at the U-M School of Public Health and first author of the paper, says the team's research provides the largest study of this relationship to date, and further improves on other studies by using multiple exposure measurements per subject.

"We have some ideas on how phthalates could cause preterm birth, although the exact mechanism is still unknown," she said. "One possibility we are considering is that phthalates are causing changes in oxidative stress or inflammation in the mother, and that these changes are leading to early labor."

The researchers say current studies remain inconclusive in assessing whether avoiding perfume, deodorant and other personal care products, and eating more fresh foods that undergo less processing and packaging, could lower women's phthalate exposure levels.

"Once we know more about pathways of exposure and mechanisms that cause this to happen, then it will be the time for interventions and policy action at the individual, clinical and federal levels," Meeker said. "These are things we are actively researching."

### The research is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and reported Nov. 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics

University of Michigan School of Public Health: http://www.sph.umich.edu

Brigham and Women's Hospital: http://www.brighamandwomens.org

John Meeker: http://www.sph.umich.edu/iscr/faculty/profile.cfm?uniqname=meekerj

Thomas McElrath: http://researchfaculty.brighamandwomens.org/BRIProfile.aspx?id=5778


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Non-specialist health workers play important role in improving mental health in developing countries

2013-11-19
Non-specialist health workers play important role in improving mental health in developing countries New research shows benefits for people with depression, anxiety, dementia, maternal depression, post traumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse Non-specialist ...

Corticosteroid added to standard treatment improves eyesight in patients with sudden vision loss

2013-11-19
Corticosteroid added to standard treatment improves eyesight in patients with sudden vision loss According to study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience Amsterdam, NL, November 19, 2013 – Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is one of the ...

Blood test accurately diagnoses concussion and predicts long term cognitive disability

2013-11-19
Blood test accurately diagnoses concussion and predicts long term cognitive disability Penn medicine researchers discover that high levels of a protein in blood after traumatic brain injury correlate with brain tissue damage PHILADELPHIA ...

'GUMBOS' promise new drugs and electronics: American Chemical Society Prized Science video

2013-11-19
'GUMBOS' promise new drugs and electronics: American Chemical Society Prized Science video A group of nanoparticles called "GUMBOS" is as varied as their culinary namesake implies, with a wide range of potential applications from cancer therapy to sensors. ...

Smartphone apps lack proven strategies to help smokers quit

2013-11-19
Smartphone apps lack proven strategies to help smokers quit WASHINGTON, DC (November 19, 2013)—An estimated 11 million smokers in the United States own a smartphone and increasingly they're turning to apps ...

Origin of species: Protein imbalances doom hybrids

2013-11-19
Origin of species: Protein imbalances doom hybrids Why do crosses between closely related species fail to produce fertile hybrids? A new study led by Professor Axel Imhof of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich shows that differences ...

Scientists nearing forecasts of long-lived wildfires' paths

2013-11-19
Scientists nearing forecasts of long-lived wildfires' paths New computer modeling technique offers promise of continually updated predictions Scientists have developed a new computer modeling technique that for the first time offers the promise of continually-updated ...

UT Dallas computer scientists create 3-D technique

2013-11-19
UT Dallas computer scientists create 3-D technique 3-D imaging technique utilizes famous mathematician's theory UT Dallas computer scientists have developed a technique to create 3-D images that finds practical applications of a theory created by ...

New study determines more accurate method to date tropical glacier moraines

2013-11-19
New study determines more accurate method to date tropical glacier moraines Dartmouth-led research may alter previous interpretations of climate's impact on equatorial glaciers A Dartmouth-led team has found a more accurate method to determine the ages of boulders ...

Study finds youth prefer and benefit more from rapid point-of-care HIV testing

2013-11-19
Study finds youth prefer and benefit more from rapid point-of-care HIV testing TORONTO, Nov. 19, 2013 – Youth prefer, accept and receive HIV results more often when offered rapid finger prick or saliva swab tests rather than traditional blood tests according ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New CZI AI model could help scientists pinpoint signs of cancer cells

Sugar-coated ‘sticky’ stem cells could unlock surgery-free liver treatments

Children’s social media activity highlights emotional stress of living with long-term health issues

New tool maps hidden roles and risks in ecosystems

New breakthrough method to protect quantum spins from noise

Chemicals from turmeric and rhubarb could help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria lurking in wastewater

Instant cancer diagnosis with light and AI!

New electroenzymatic strategy enables non-natural oxidation reactions

Tunable laser light

Scientists uncover magnetic-field control of ultrafast spin dynamics in 2D ferromagnets

New AI-powered model accurately predicts lung motion with minimal radiation

AI language models show promise in predicting liver cancer treatment outcomes

Tracking insect and bug health in a heartbeat from a digital camera

'Talking fish' not heard by conservation policies, SFU study warns

Thirty years of research shows increased resistance in fungi

Junk food ‘avoids advertising regulation’ with top level UK sports sponsorship

Banking on AI while committed to net zero is ‘magical thinking’, claims report on energy costs of big tech

Ancient river systems reveal Mars was wetter than we thought

Online toolkit to help parents of autistic children improve dental health

The psychological and neurological parallels between sports fandom and religious devotion

Agricultural liming in the US is a large CO2 sink, say researchers

Seaside more likely to make us nostalgic than green places, study finds

Psilocybin delays aging, extends lifespan, Emory study suggests

Buck Institute awarded DARPA contract to pioneer next-gen AI modeling platform

Orange is the new aphrodisiac—for guppies

Murals boost Cincinnati’s vitality, community development

Ad blockers may be showing users more problematic ads, NYU Tandon study finds

Verbal response time reveals hidden sleepiness in older adults

University of Maryland School of Medicine launches groundbreaking study on THC/CBD therapy for dementia-related agitation at end of life

Targeting stem-property and vasculogenic mimicry for sensitizing paclitaxel therapy of triple-negative breast cancer by biomimetic codelivery

[Press-News.org] Phthalate exposure linked to preterm birth