HYPERLINK"http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-packaged-food-makes-girls-hyper"http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-packaged-food-makes-girls-hyperHowPackagedFoodMakesGirlsHyperAchemicalfoundinmanyplasticsaffectsbraindevelopmentinthewombByAimeeCunningham|March16,2012ThechemicalbisphenolA,knownasBPA,hasbecomefamiliarinthepastdecade,notablytoparentssearchingforBPA-freebottlesfortheirinfants.AnimalstudieshavefoundthatBPA,whichresemblesthesexhormoneestrogen,harmshealth.Thegrowingbrainisanespeciallyworrisometarget:estrogenisknowntobeimportantinfetalbraindevelopmentinrodents.Nowastudysuggeststhatprenatal,butnotchildhood,exposuretoBPAisconnectedtoanxiety,depressionanddifficultycontrollingbehaviorsinthree-year-olds,especiallygirls.Morethan90percentofAmericanshavedetectableamountsofBPAintheirurine;formostpeople,themajorsourceofexposureisdiet.BPAisacomponentoftheresinsthatlinecansoffoodandtheplasticsinsomefoodpackaginganddrinkcontainers,andthechemicalleachesintotheediblecontents.OthersourcesofBPAexposureincludewater-supplypipesandsomepaperreceipts.EpidemiologistJoeM.BraunofHarvardUniversityandhiscolleaguesstudied240womenandtheirchildrenintheCincinnatiarea.Theresearcherscollectedurinesamplesfromthemotherstwiceduringpregnancyandwithin24hoursofbirthandfromthechildrenatagesone,twoandthree.BPAwasdetectablein97percentofthesamples.Theyalsosurveyedparentsabouttheirkids’behaviorandexecutivefunctions—atermforthementalprocessesinvolvedinself-controlandemotionalregulation.TheresearchersfoundthatthemoreBPAchildrenwereexposedtointhewomb,themoreanxious,depressedandhyperactivetheywereatthreeyearsoldandthemoredifficultytheyhadcontrollingtheiremotionsandinhibitingbehaviors.Theeffectsweremostsevereingirls.Theteamdidnotfindaconnectionbetweenthechildren’sbehaviorandtheirexposuretoBPAaftertheywereborn,theyreportintheNovember2011issueofPediatrics.DeterminingtheprecisemechanismsbehindBPA’seffectonbehaviorwillrequiremorework,Braunobserves.BPAinterfereswithe