According to a new study conducted by Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center, fetuses exposed to high levels of Bisphenol-A (BPA) (up to 37.5 micrograms per liter) at 16 weeks of gestation had an increased risk of transient wheeze. More specifically, at the age of 6 months these infants were twice as likely to wheeze and the wheezing condition persisted up to age 3 and then cleared up. According to this study, exposure to BPA later in pregnancy did not have the same effect. How to reduce your exposure to BPA? One simple step – choose glass containers or the right plastics (#1,#2, and #5).

In addition, the number of studies that draw a link between prenatal exposure to organophosphates (a class of agricultural pesticides) and lower intelligence scores in children has now increased to three. In addition to the California study I have mentioned in a previous post, two New York studies (one conducted by the Mt. Sinai Medical Center and the other by Columbia University) that examined the effect of these pesticides (as measured from the mothers’ urine prior to giving birth) on 7-year-olds living in New York City found a strong link between the amount of pesticides measured and the drop in IQ scores of these kids. The correlation was even higher in California than in New York, most likely because the California study was done in the rural area of Salinas Valley where the mothers were in closer contact with the pesticides. However, the correlation is strong enough with the New York kids to warrant a warning. Continue to eating your vegetables and fruits, just make sure to wash them and choose organic whenever you can!