Shillong, September 29: A recent study suggests a potential link between the rise in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the common plastic additive, bisphenol A (BPA).
As per IANS, BPA, found in everyday items such as medical devices, compact discs, dental sealants, water bottles, and the lining of canned foods and drinks, has previously been associated with various health issues, including cancer.
Published in the public access journal PLOS ONE, the study revealed that children with ASD and ADHD often have a reduced ability to eliminate BPA from their bodies, leading to increased BPA exposure.
Previous research has already established connections between BPA exposure and autism in children. In this new study conducted by researchers from Rowan University in New Jersey, US, it was found that the link is due to a decreased efficiency in a crucial step of BPA detoxification.
Once BPA is ingested or inhaled, it is processed in the liver through glucuronidation, a process that involves adding a sugar molecule to the toxin. This transformation makes the toxin water-soluble, enabling it to be quickly excreted from the body through urine.
Individuals exhibit genetic variability in their ability to detoxify BPA. Genetically susceptible individuals have more difficulty detoxifying their blood through this process, resulting in prolonged exposure to BPA at higher concentrations.
The research team assessed the efficiency of glucuronidation in three groups of children in the US: 66 with autism, 46 with ADHD, and 37 healthy children. The findings revealed that a significant proportion of children with autism had a 10% lower ability to add the glucose molecule to BPA compared to control children. Similarly, a significant proportion of children with ADHD exhibited a 17% lower ability.
Lead author T. Peter Stein, Professor of surgery at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, emphasized that this compromised ability to clear environmental pollutants from the body provides “the first hard biochemical evidence of what the linkage is between BPA and the development of autism or ADHD.”
The study also noted that while not all children with these neurodevelopmental disorders exhibit impaired BPA clearance, it remains a significant pathway, although other factors may also contribute. Further research is required to determine whether autism and ADHD development is linked to increased BPA exposure during pregnancy or after birth, along with potential additional contributing factors.