I think it has more to do with the wide spread use of anti bacterial soaps. There is a molecule in there that is shaped almost like a molecule of estrogen. And the way estrogen works is when it sees estrogen, the body starts to produce it.
There are plenty of other good reasons not to use the stuff, but this should get more attention.
Chemicals in cosmetics, soaps tied to early puberty in girls
December 3, 2018.
Girls who are exposed before birth to chemicals commonly found in toothpaste, makeup, soap and other personal care products may hit puberty earlier than their peers who aren’t exposed to these chemicals in the womb, a U.S. study suggests.
Many chemicals have been linked to early puberty in animal studies including phthalates, which are often found in scented products like perfumes, soaps and shampoos; parabens, which are used as preservatives in cosmetics; and phenols, which include triclosan, researchers note in Human Reproduction. While this is thought to interfere with sex hormones and puberty timing, few studies have explored this connection in human children.
For the current study, researchers followed 338 children from birth through adolescence. They tested mothers’ urine during pregnancy and interviewed them about potential chemical exposures, then tested kids’ urine for chemical exposure at 9 years old and examined children for signs of puberty development every nine months between ages 9 and 13 years.
Over 90 percent of kids’ urine samples showed concentrations of all the potentially hormone-altering chemicals, except for triclosan, which was found in 73 percent of pregnant mothers’ urine samples and 69 percent of their kids’ urine samples.
For every doubling in concentration of a phthalate indicator in mothers’ urine, their daughters developed pubic hair an average of 1.3 months earlier, the study found. And with every doubling of mothers’ urine concentrations of triclosan, girls started menstruating one month earlier.
Boys’ puberty timing didn’t appear to be influenced by prenatal exposure to these chemicals.
“The fact that we find associations with earlier puberty in girls is additionally concerning,” Harley said. “The good news is, that if women want to reduce their exposure to these chemicals, there are steps they can take.”
Triclosan is no longer allowed in antibacterial soap in the U.S., but it is still in toothpaste, Harley said. Consumers should make sure it’s not a listed ingredient on any toothpaste they buy, she advised.
- Girls who are exposed before birth to chemicals commonly found in toothpaste, makeup, soap and other personal care products may hit puberty earlier than their peers who aren't exposed to these chemicals in the womb, a U.S. study suggests.
www.reuters.com