6-22-2009
A controversial chemical may be causing some kids to experience puberty early.
A new North Carolina State University study found low bisphenol, or BPA, exposure causes female rats to undergo puberty earlier.
They were also more likely to have problems with their ovaries forming and they stopped having their periods at a younger age.
Manufacturers use BPA to make some hard, clear plastics.
It's also found in certain food product containers.
Scientists exposed the rats to fifty milligrams per kilogram of BPA.
That number's important, because it's the equivalent to what the environmental protection agency considers to be 'lowest observable adverse effect level' for BPA.
Researchers say by definition, they weren't expecting such significant results.
The authors stress, the research was done on rats, so it's not clear if humans experience the same thing.
The study appears in the journal "Biology of Reproduction."