BPA or bisphenol A is a chemical compound that is commonly used in the manufacturing of eproxy resins and plastics that are used in an abundance of everyday products. In fact, BPA may be found in everything from store receipts to the liners in canned food. This chemical is so prevalent that researchers also reported how Americans even have detectable concentrations of the compound in their urine.
During the study, the research team discovered that when unborn children are exposed prenatally to BPA, there is a higher risk that they will develop respiratory difficulties later on in life. Data shows that parents of these children report persistent wheezing and diminished lung function at some point during childhood. Exposure has also been linked to the development of asthma, which is one of the most chronic illnesses that occur in children. BPA exposure before or after birth has consistently been implicated in previous studies and identified as one of the major risk factors that influence the development of respiratory disorders among children.
Nearly 400 mothers and their infant children were observed during the research so that the effects of BPA exposure during gestation and after birth could be established appropriately. Urine samples from the mothers were collected twice during the course of their pregnancies, and then subsequently from the children. Researchers were able to establish that for every 10-fold increase in the BPA concentration in the mother's urine, there was a 54.8% possibility that her child would develop a wheezing condition.
Authors of the research say that further studies into this subject are required since there were several factors that limited the results, most notably the varying concentration of BPA levels that have the tendency to fluctuate. A Spokesperson for team said, "Additional research is needed to clarify the contrasting findings in recent human studies. If future studies confirm that prenatal BPA exposure may be a risk factor for impaired respiratory health, it may offer another avenue to prevent the development of asthma."