Phthalates are a group of chemicals added to plastics to make them more flexible and durable. They are also used as ingredients in some personal care products.

These chemicals are endocrine disruptors – which means they can mimic, block or interfere with the body's own hormones. And when it comes to children, the concern is that they might cause disruptions during key developmental moments.

Prior studies have linked regular exposure to phthalates during pregnancy and early childhood to negative impacts on children – including impaired brain development and behavioral problems, as well as other health concerns.

Researchers raised concerns widespread presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates in environment may be contributing to girls getting their first menstrual period at an earlier age. Phthalates don't stay in the body for very long, but worry about cumulative effects of exposures.

Several different skin care products was associated with higher urinary concentrations of several different types of phthalates," Bloom says. That isn't new: He notes that prior studies have found similar results in infants and pregnant women, though not in young kids in this 4-8 age range.

Dr. Lynn Goldman: Until now, concerns about phthalate exposure focused on diet, since the chemicals can leach into food from plastic packaging, as well as food handling equipment such as tubing and conveyor belts. Much more concerned these [chemicals] in cosmetics & personal care products,

They found strong associations between use of hair oils & elevated phthalate levels in Hispanic, Asian & Pacific Islander children. Body lotion was associated with the kinds of phthalates used as ingredients in personal care products among white children but not among Black and Hispanic children.

Overall, Black children had the highest levels of phthalates in their urine. Other studies have found that many beauty products targeted at communities of color have high levels of these chemicals.

As social media helps fuel a craze for skin care among tweens and teens, Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah says the findings are an important reminder that some of these products could potentially be exposing kids to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Download a free app called YUKA. yuka.io/en/ Shoppers can simply scan the barcode of a product while in the store, and the app will flag potential health concerns linked to ingredients. I just did. This is a good app. It will tell you about ingredients, good and bad.

Yuka - The Mobile App That Sca...