[Source:  Science Daily]

Scientists have uncovered a link between prenatal exposure to phthalates — a ubiquitous group of plasticizers and odor-enhancing chemicals — and deficits in motor function in girls. Phthalates are widely used in consumer products from plastic toys to household building materials to shampoos and are thought to disrupt endocrine function, and possibly interfere with brain development in utero.

Results of a longitudinal study of 209 New York City women and their offspring are published in the journal Environment International.

The researchers measured seven phthalate metabolites in maternal spot urine obtained during the third trimester of pregnancy. Motor function was evaluated at age 11. After adjusting for potential confounders, they saw a decrease in fine-motor functions among girls, not boys, following exposure to high levels of specific metabolites. Accounting for mixtures of phthalates and motor functions, the analysis pointed to three phthalates most

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