Chemicals known as endocrine disrupters, commonly found in hygiene products, may mimic hormones and lead children to mature well before their natural time

Over the past 20 years, girls have been reaching puberty earlier, with high risks of some medical and behavioural problems

Many parents already worry about the chemicals in the personal care products that their kids use but now a new study takes that fear to the next level: the exposure starts even before a child is born.

Girls exposed to chemicals commonly found in shampoo, toothpaste and soap may hit puberty earlier, even if their only exposure is through the products their mothers used while they were pregnant, according to a new longitudinal study led by researchers at UC Berkeley.