14 DAY TRIAL // A new University of California, San Francisco, concluded that pregnant women carry a serious amount of chemicals within their bodies, including some that are banned since 1970.
The researchers analyzed a sample of 268 pregnant women from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004, a nationally representative sample of the US population.
Besides chemicals banned for the past 40 years, the researchers also found others used in common products like non-stick cookware, processed foods and personal care products.
Lead author Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, director of the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, explained that this study was not meant to identify direct connections to adverse health outcomes.
“It was surprising and concerning to find so many chemicals in pregnant women without fully knowing the implications for pregnancy.
“Several of these chemicals in pregnant women were at the same concentrations that have been associated with negative effects in children from other studies.
“In addition, exposure to multiple chemicals that can increase the risk of the same adverse health outcome can have a greater impact than exposure to just one chemical,” she added.
It is known that chemical exposure during fetal development rises the risks of adverse health consequences, like preterm birth and birth defects, childhood morbidity, adult disease and mortality.
Also, chemicals can cross the placenta and enter the fetus, and several studies have found that chemicals measured in maternal urine and serum, had passed into the amniotic fluid, cord blood and meconium.
For this research, the scientists analyzed data for 163 chemicals, and detected PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), organochlorine pesticides, PFCs (perfluorinated compounds), phenols, PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), phthalates, PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and perchlorate in 99%-100% of pregnant women.
PBDEs are compounds used in flame retardants, and are now banned in many states, including California, and DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), is an organochlorine pesticide banned in the United States ever since 1972.
96% of the women part of the study had levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a compound that makes plastic hard and clear, and is found in epoxy resins are used to line the inside of metal food and beverage cans.
The problem is that BPA exposure is known to affect brain development and increase risks of cancer later in life, according to the researchers.
This study is actually the first one to count the number of chemicals to which pregnant women are exposed.
“Our findings indicate several courses of action,” said Woodruff, an associate professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.
“First, additional research is needed to identify dominant sources of exposure to chemicals and how they influence our health, especially in reproduction.
“Second, while individuals can take actions in their everyday lives to protect themselves from toxins, significant, long-lasting change only will result from a systemic approach that includes proactive government policies.”
These results will be published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Watch the interview with Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH: