Plasticizers may contribute to motor control problems in girls

Scientists have uncovered a link between prenatal exposure to phthalates -- a ubiquitous group of plasticizers and odor-enhancing chemicals -- and deficits in motor function in girls. Phthalates are widely used in consumer products from plastic toys to household building materials to shampoos and are thought to disrupt endocrine function, and possibly interfere with brain development in utero.