Certain Chemicals Tied to Language Delays in Children

A new study suggests that children may suffer a delay in language development if their mothers come into frequent contact with chemicals called phthalates early in their pregnancy. In a study that involved 1,370 pregnant women in Sweden and the United States, researchers found that children with higher exposure to two phthalates (dibutyl phthalate and butyl benzyl phthalate) while in utero had up to a 30% increased risk for language delay than kids with less phthalate exposure. JAMA Pediatrics, October 2018