"Phthalates are a class of chemicals that have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system. They’re used in all kinds of consumer products including flooring, cars and cosmetics. A new study published today finds a significant link between pregnant women’s exposure to phthalates and negative impacts on their children’s development."

"Robin Whyatt is a professor in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and she’s the lead author of the study. She and her team have an ongoing study of more than 700 mothers and their children that began in 1998.

For this particular study, they looked at about half of those mother-child pairs. They measured phthalate levels in the mothers’ urine and compared those levels to several developmental tests on their children, who are now three years old.

[Wyatt:] 'As levels in the mothers' urine went up, the child’s motor development went down significantly.'"

Rebecca Williams reports for Michigan Radio September 6, 2011. [2]