Plastic box chemical link to boys’ depression

CHEMICALS found in plastic food containers have been linked to the development of anxiety and depression in boys.

Experts at Columbia University in the US tested pregnant women for levels of bisphenol A (BPA), used to make a number of everyday food utensils, such as Tupperware boxes, some plastic bottles and cutlery, and the lining of tinned food containers.

Over a decade later their children were subjected to health assessments that included questionnaires about symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Boys who had been exposed to higher levels of BPA while they were in their mother’s womb had more symptoms of depression and anxiety than boys with lower levels.

There was no association to BPA levels found in girls who took part in the study.

It is believed that small amounts of BPA can migrate from container to food during storage, and a foetus is exposed depending on what the mother eats.

The European Food Safety Authority will soon publish a report on the potential effects of BPA on the immune system of foetuses.