Several clinical research studies have tied high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) to serious behavioral problems in children.  A research study published online on Monday, October 24, 2011 in the journal Pediatrics, and led by Joe M. Braun of Harvard University's School of public Health, revealed that children of mothers with high levels of BPA in their urine "were more likely to report that their children were 'hyperactive,' aggressive, anxious, depressed, and less in control of their emotions than mothers with low levels of the chemical."   This study was characterized as the first to indicate that a "young girl's emotional well-being is linked to her mother's exposure during pregnancy rather than the child's exposure after birth."  It was also noted that "girls were more sensitive to the chemical in the womb than boys, maybe because BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen, which is thought to play a role in behavioral development."   The study involved 244 Cincinnati-area mothers and their three year old children.   The authors, led by Braun, noted that their study's results might be skewed, or adversely affected, by the "eating habits of the mothers observed ... It's possible that mothers who ate a lot of packaged foods simply didn't eat enough nutrients essential for brain development."  Braun also went on to say that "none of the children exhibited behavior outside the normal range," although they "behaved worse than children whose mothers had relatively low traces of BPA in their urine."  See also "Study Links BPA Exposure in Womb to Bad Behavior," in The Washington Post (October 25, 2011): A12.