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GROWING numbers of girls are reaching puberty before the age of 10, raising fears of increased sexual activity among a new generation of children.

Scientists believe the phenomenon could be linked to obesity or exposure to chemicals in the food chain, and is putting girls at greater long-term risk of breast cancer.

A study has revealed that breast development in a sample of 1,000 girls started at an average age of 9 years and 10 months — an entire year earlier than when a similar cohort was examined in 1991.

greennumbers girls puberty obesity chemicals food chain breast cancer

From bisphenol A (BPA) to flame retardants and beyond, industrial chemicals that have troubling connections to a host of human health problems and are widely used in consumer products came under tough scrutiny before a U.S. Senate hearing this week (Feb. 4).

New Jersey Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D) called top government officials and national experts from the environmental community to testify before the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, which he chairs. The central topic was biomonitoring and the importance of determining what chemicals are turning up in people, particularly in children.

children pollution chemicals health environmental working group