Pilot Study Relates Phthalate Exposure to Less-Masculine Play by Boys

Submitted by Broadsword on Mon, 2009-11-16 15:13

Article here. Excerpt:

'A study of 145 preschool children reports, for the first time, that when the concentrations of two common phthalates in mothers’ prenatal urine are elevated their sons are less likely to play with male-typical toys and games, such as trucks and play fighting.
...
Because testosterone produces the masculine brain, researchers are concerned that fetal exposure to anti-androgens such as phthalates – which are pervasive in the environment – has the potential to alter masculine brain development, said lead author Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, director of the URMC Center for Reproductive Epidemiology, and an expert in phthalates.

“Our results need to be confirmed, but are intriguing on several fronts,” Swan said. “Not only are they consistent with our prior findings that link phthalates to altered male genital development, but they also are compatible with current knowledge about how hormones mold sex differences in the brain, and thus behavior. We have more work to do, but the implications are potentially profound.”'

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Comments

It's outrageous that the results are judged to be only "intriguing." We are altering what it means to be a human, jeopardizing the future ability of the human race to procreate, and doing similar unknown serious damage to other species, and the results are only "intriguing." Perhaps if girls and women were being hurt, then the media would be a little more concerned? Has the media forgotten that men and boys are part of the human race? Or are birth defects, cancer, mental illness, and a host of other problems caused by these plastic chemicals just unimportant when it comes to maintaining corporate profits? All MRAs should be familiar with this issue, because it so clearly shows that men and boys don't count. Because the impact is disproportionately on one sex, the second class sex, nobody gives a damn. To come up to speed on this topic, read Hormone Deception by Berkson, a book which is oriented towards women (surprise) but still has a lot of useful information for men and boys. The book's link is below.

http://www.amazon.com/Hormone-Deception-Everyday-Disrupting-Hormones/dp/0658021303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258406839&sr=1-1

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Submitted by redwoodwriter on Mon, 2009-11-16 21:29

Only an unethical douchebag would call the results 'intriguing'. Maybe that guy was sniffing a phthalate-deficient glue as a kid.

Actually, his attitude is just an extension of the males-as-lab-rats mentality.

-ax

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Submitted by axolotl on Tue, 2009-11-17 03:48