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BPA exposure 'alters breast development in unborn girls'
By Alexandra George
Pregnant women exposed to synthetic bisphenol A (BPA) could give birth to girls who are at a greater risk of suffering from breast cancer later in life, a maternal and newborn health study has shown.
It was discovered that the mammary glands of female mice exposed to BPA while in the womb were more reactive to the hormone progesterone - a chemical linked to breast cancer.
Furthermore, there were signs BPA, which has caused concern because it mimics oestrogen, may have similar affects to diethyllbestrol, which it is known can increase the risk of breast cancer two-fold in those whose mothers were exposed to the chemical during pregnancy.
The research was conducted by Swiss researchers from the country's Institute for Experimental Cancer and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and published in The Endocrine Society's journal Molecular Endoctrinolo.
A recent study by scientists at Brown University, Rhode Island, in the US showed BPA does not seem to lead to birth defects in the reproductive organs of male mice, but there was some suggestion it was having an effect on the ovaries and mammary glands of females.
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