A growing mound of scientific evidence has linked these chemicals to changes in children’s hormone systems, which can alter their normal development and increase their risk of childhood obesity, the new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement argues.
These chemicals affect the health of all humans, but can have a particularly strong effect in children, said lead author Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an environmental health researcher with New York University’s School of Medicine.
“Pound for pound, they eat more food, so they have higher levels of exposure compared to us adults,” Trasande explained. “Their organs are still developing in various ways, such that effects on that development can be permanent and lifelong.”
