Up to 1 in 3 prepubescent children in East China has been exposed to excessive amounts of a chemical widely used in plastic production that can lead to early puberty, according to research.

A study has found that nearly 20 percent of children tested in a recent study had been exposed to excessive amounts of phthalates, which are sometimes called environmental hormones. The rate was even higher, about 36 percent, among children living in industrial regions.

A research team from the Fudan School of Public Health in Shanghai has released the results of the study, which it conducted from January 2012 to January this year.