<strong>Fetal exposure to BPA can increase risk for prostate cancer, says study.</strong>

Fetal exposure to a industrial chemical used to make certain plastics can increase risk the risk for prostate cancer later in life, according to a study conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago. The chemical is bisphenol A or BPA.

Researchers implanted human prostate stem cells into mice and fed them BPA amounts similar with those already seen in pregnant women.  The mice were fed BPA for two weeks and were later given estrogen to mimic rising levels of the female hormone seen in aging men. Tissue was collected two to four months later and analyzed for prostate disease. Researchers discovered one third of the tissue samples had either pre-cancerous lesions or prostate cancer. The study was published online in the journal <i>Endocrinology</i>.