Nature & Environment
BPA May Impact Sexual Function in Turtles and Affect Our Environment
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Apr 16, 2015 10:16 AM EDT
Bisphenol A (BPA) may just impact the animals in our environment. Scientists have discovered this chemical can disrupt sexual function in turtles, which could be a warning for environmental health.
"Normally, the painted turtle's sex is determined by the temperature of the environment during their development in the egg-cooler temperatures yield more male turtles, while warmer temperatures mean females are more likely to develop," said Dawn Holliday, one of the researchers, in a news release. "However, when turtle eggs are exposed to environmental estrogens, their sex is no longer determined by the temperature, but rather by the chemical to which they're exposed."
In order to better understand how BPA may impact turtles, the researchers applied a liquid form of the chemical to hundreds of painted turtle eggs that were then exposed to cooler temperatures. These temperatures were comparable to those needed to produce male turtles. Then, the scientists examined the turtles' sex organs in order to determine the effects of BPA on their development. In the end, they found that the male turtles had developed sex organs with features typically found in females.
"The doses we tested are environmentally relevant," said Cheryl Rosenfeld, one of the researchers. "If BPA has negative impacts on turtles, then it most likely has implications for human health as well."
The scientists plan to conduct further studies in order to better understand the mechanisms of sex reversal in reptiles and how these translate to endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure in wild populations.
The findings reveal that BPA may have more implications for our environment and for health than once thought.
The findings are published in the journal General and Comparative Endocrinology.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
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First Posted: Apr 16, 2015 10:16 AM EDT
Bisphenol A (BPA) may just impact the animals in our environment. Scientists have discovered this chemical can disrupt sexual function in turtles, which could be a warning for environmental health.
"Normally, the painted turtle's sex is determined by the temperature of the environment during their development in the egg-cooler temperatures yield more male turtles, while warmer temperatures mean females are more likely to develop," said Dawn Holliday, one of the researchers, in a news release. "However, when turtle eggs are exposed to environmental estrogens, their sex is no longer determined by the temperature, but rather by the chemical to which they're exposed."
In order to better understand how BPA may impact turtles, the researchers applied a liquid form of the chemical to hundreds of painted turtle eggs that were then exposed to cooler temperatures. These temperatures were comparable to those needed to produce male turtles. Then, the scientists examined the turtles' sex organs in order to determine the effects of BPA on their development. In the end, they found that the male turtles had developed sex organs with features typically found in females.
"The doses we tested are environmentally relevant," said Cheryl Rosenfeld, one of the researchers. "If BPA has negative impacts on turtles, then it most likely has implications for human health as well."
The scientists plan to conduct further studies in order to better understand the mechanisms of sex reversal in reptiles and how these translate to endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure in wild populations.
The findings reveal that BPA may have more implications for our environment and for health than once thought.
The findings are published in the journal General and Comparative Endocrinology.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone