A recent study revealed that pregnant women who are exposed to hairspray during the early stages of pregnancy have double chances of giving birth to a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias. In hypospadias, the urinary opening is displaced to the underside of the penis.

Researchers from Imperial College London, University College Cork and the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona interviewed 471 mothers whose sons had been referred to surgeons for hypospadias and 490 controls during the study.

Researchers believe that hairspray and hypospadias may be linked because of chemicals in hairspray known as phthalates. Earlier studies have shown that phthalates may disrupt the hormonal systems in the body and affect reproductive development. The study also indicated that intake of folic acid supplements in the first three months of pregnancy can lead to a 36 percent reduced risk of bearing a child with the condition.

Lead researcher, Professor Paul Elliott, the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London, said, "Hypospadias is a condition that, if left untreated, can cause problems in later life. Although surgery to correct it is usually successful, any surgery will be traumatic for the child and his parents."