Plastic Chemical Exposure Linked to Brain Development

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast highlights research that shows a relationship between phthalates and deficits in cognitive function in rats. The discussion with Janice Juraska and Daniel Kougias explores what the findings could mean to humans and society as a whole. Investigators call it a "cautionary study" that shows exposure to phthalates at critical stages in human development could lower the baseline of how smart humans are as a society. The research team successfully mimicked the average phthalates exposure in humans with subjects and found that the exposed subjects responded slower to task changes, behaved differently than those not exposed, and showed physical changes to the front part of their brain.