Researchers have discovered that exposure during pregnancy to Bisphenol A (BPA), a common component of plastics, causes permanent abnormalities in the uterus of offspring.

The study is the first to show that BPA exposure permanently affects sensitivity to estrogen.

Researchers used two groups of mice, one exposed to BPA as a fetus during pregnancy and another exposed to a placebo. The mice exposed to BPA as a fetus had an exaggerated response to estrogens as adults, long after the exposure to BPA.