posted on 2009-12-10 by JPerez
By Aaron Derfel, Montreal GazetteDecember 9, 2009
MONTREAL — A common chemical used in the plastic lining of frozen-food dinners and many other products is endangering the development of fetuses in pregnant women, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Universite de Sherbrooke have shown that Bisphenol A (BPA) — an industrial chemical used in many plastics — harms stem cells in the placenta that nourish the fetus. The study is the first to focus on the impact of BPA on cytotrophoblasts, cells that attach the fetus to the uterus.

Until now, most research has been carried out on the hormone-disrupting effects of BPA on infants who drink from hard-plastic baby bottles. But the Sherbrooke study raises concerns that BPA might be causing irrevocable damage even before birth.

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