TUESDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The concentrations of two common phthalates in the urine of expectant mothers are correlated with less male-typical play by their sons at preschool age, according to study published online Nov. 16 in the International Journal of Andrology.

Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., of the University of Rochester in New York, and colleagues assessed the effects of in-utero exposure to phthalates, common chemicals found in vinyl, plastic and household products, on masculine play in boys. The researchers re-contacted women who participated in the 1999 to 2002 Study for Future Families, during which phthalate metabolites in urine were measured in mid-pregnancy. The mothers completed a questionnaire to assess their now-preschool-age child's play behavior for markers of masculinity/femininity. The children's play behavior scores were associated with phthalate metabolite concentrations in the mother's urine for both boys and girls.

The researchers found that concentrations of metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and dibutyl phthalate, were associated with less masculine play behavior in boys, but no other phthalate metabolites in-utero measurements were associated with the less-masculine play. In contrast, the girls' play was not found to be associated with in-utero phthalate levels.

"These data, although based on a small sample, suggest that prenatal exposure to anti-androgenic phthalates may be associated with less male-typical play behavior in boys. Our findings suggest that these ubiquitous environmental chemicals have the potential to alter androgen-responsive brain development in humans," the authors write.

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