Clipping Board » Environmental Pollution & Change ─ How dirty the human heart is, how dirty the environment will be...
June 1, 2015, United Daily News, Reporter Hsiu Jui-ying / Tainan Report
Photo / Provided by United Daily News
Most bubble tea shops in Taiwan use plastic cups to serve drinks, and few consumers bring their own reusable cups. However, research from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has found that plastic materials carry the risk of leaching plasticizers, which can cause issues such as precocious puberty in girls. Photo by Reporter Cheng Yi-hua
An NCKU research team spent three years completing the first domestic study on how plasticizers cause precocious puberty in children. The study found that most plasticizers in children's bodies come from their diet. Specifically, using plastic containers for hot food or wrapping food with plastic wrap during heating can increase plasticizer levels by five to ten times. Eating one microwave meal in a plastic container and drinking a 500cc beverage from a plastic cup exceeds the daily tolerable intake of plasticizers.
How dangerous are plasticizers? Multiple international studies have shown that plasticizers may cause feminization in boys and precocious puberty in girls, but there had been no related research in Taiwan. The NCKU team spent three years completing the first such study, confirming that plasticizers do indeed affect precocious puberty in girls.
Clinically, cases have been observed where baby girls are born with developed breasts, which the team suspects is due to maternal exposure. In the past, girls typically had their first menstruation around ages 12 or 13, but now many girls experience it as early as 8 or 9 years old, with some even at 6 years old. This disrupts normal development, and the "harm" of plasticizers is alarming.
Lee Chun-chang, director of the NCKU Research Center for Environmental Trace Toxic Substances, who led the study, explained that factors influencing precocious puberty include genetics, environment, obesity, diet, stress, and sexual exposure. Among environmental factors, plasticizers and environmental hormones (such as bisphenol A) are the most significant.
The team studied 71 girls aged 2 to 8 with precocious puberty from outpatient clinics. They found no obvious physical abnormalities, but most had already begun breast development. Due to the severity, some were given hormone suppression therapy to delay their first menstruation until around age 12.
One 6-year-old girl already had her period but was too young to manage it herself, often staining her clothes. Other kindergarten children were shocked to see her clothes stained red, mistakenly thinking she was injured.
Researchers visited the homes of these cases and found one premature baby girl sharing a room with her parents, where the bedside table was filled with perfumes, making the room heavily scented. Plasticizers are common additives in perfumes. Another girl lived in a household that operated a plastic factory and spent much of her time there.
"Most cases drank tea or soy milk from plastic cups daily," Lee noted. The study showed that using plastic cups, bowls, or bags for hot food increases plasticizer leaching into food by two to three times.
What saddened the researchers was that when they advised parents to avoid plastic containers for their children's food, some responded, "Then what should we eat for breakfast?" or "It’s hard to give up bubble tea."
Lee also pointed out that fragrances, which are currently popular, rely heavily on fixatives to stabilize their scents—and these fixatives are plasticizers. "The stronger the fragrance, the more plasticizers it contains." Products like perfumes, shampoos, body washes, and lotions with added scents may expose users to plasticizers through inhalation or skin absorption.
He further warned that plastic coatings on electrical wires can release plasticizers at just 38°C, so unplug appliances when not in use. Plasticizers in the air can attach to particles and settle on the ground. When toddlers crawl, they may pick up these particles on their hands, and if they suck their fingers, they could ingest significant amounts of plasticizers.Source: http://health. udn. com/ health/ story/ 6002/ 937776
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Daily Plastic Cup Use Linked to Early Puberty in Children
Photo / Provided by United Daily News
Most bubble tea shops in Taiwan use plastic cups to serve drinks, and few consumers bring their own reusable cups. However, research from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has found that plastic materials carry the risk of leaching plasticizers, which can cause issues such as precocious puberty in girls. Photo by Reporter Cheng Yi-hua
An NCKU research team spent three years completing the first domestic study on how plasticizers cause precocious puberty in children. The study found that most plasticizers in children's bodies come from their diet. Specifically, using plastic containers for hot food or wrapping food with plastic wrap during heating can increase plasticizer levels by five to ten times. Eating one microwave meal in a plastic container and drinking a 500cc beverage from a plastic cup exceeds the daily tolerable intake of plasticizers.
How dangerous are plasticizers? Multiple international studies have shown that plasticizers may cause feminization in boys and precocious puberty in girls, but there had been no related research in Taiwan. The NCKU team spent three years completing the first such study, confirming that plasticizers do indeed affect precocious puberty in girls.
Clinically, cases have been observed where baby girls are born with developed breasts, which the team suspects is due to maternal exposure. In the past, girls typically had their first menstruation around ages 12 or 13, but now many girls experience it as early as 8 or 9 years old, with some even at 6 years old. This disrupts normal development, and the "harm" of plasticizers is alarming.
Lee Chun-chang, director of the NCKU Research Center for Environmental Trace Toxic Substances, who led the study, explained that factors influencing precocious puberty include genetics, environment, obesity, diet, stress, and sexual exposure. Among environmental factors, plasticizers and environmental hormones (such as bisphenol A) are the most significant.
The team studied 71 girls aged 2 to 8 with precocious puberty from outpatient clinics. They found no obvious physical abnormalities, but most had already begun breast development. Due to the severity, some were given hormone suppression therapy to delay their first menstruation until around age 12.
One 6-year-old girl already had her period but was too young to manage it herself, often staining her clothes. Other kindergarten children were shocked to see her clothes stained red, mistakenly thinking she was injured.
Researchers visited the homes of these cases and found one premature baby girl sharing a room with her parents, where the bedside table was filled with perfumes, making the room heavily scented. Plasticizers are common additives in perfumes. Another girl lived in a household that operated a plastic factory and spent much of her time there.
"Most cases drank tea or soy milk from plastic cups daily," Lee noted. The study showed that using plastic cups, bowls, or bags for hot food increases plasticizer leaching into food by two to three times.
What saddened the researchers was that when they advised parents to avoid plastic containers for their children's food, some responded, "Then what should we eat for breakfast?" or "It’s hard to give up bubble tea."
Lee also pointed out that fragrances, which are currently popular, rely heavily on fixatives to stabilize their scents—and these fixatives are plasticizers. "The stronger the fragrance, the more plasticizers it contains." Products like perfumes, shampoos, body washes, and lotions with added scents may expose users to plasticizers through inhalation or skin absorption.
He further warned that plastic coatings on electrical wires can release plasticizers at just 38°C, so unplug appliances when not in use. Plasticizers in the air can attach to particles and settle on the ground. When toddlers crawl, they may pick up these particles on their hands, and if they suck their fingers, they could ingest significant amounts of plasticizers.Source: http://health. udn. com/ health/ story/ 6002/ 937776