Trusted Information for Healthy Pregnancies
Phthalates
Chemicals During Pregnancy and How to Avoid Them
Dec 2nd
You'll want to take action after reading the Environmental Working Group's latest cord blood report, released today. The results are devastating but not surprising.
The EWG tested the cord blood of 10 minority newborns. (Cord blood is the blood remaining in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. EWG would have liked to do more, but it's about $10,000 per baby and their pockets aren't that deep.) They tested for some of the same offenders they tested for in 2005. And they tested for some new ones, including:
Bisphenol A, a.k.a. BPA, a ubiquitous ingredient in plastics and coatings that's been linked to a range of health problems, including cancer. (The Food and Drug Administration, which has to date sanctioned the use of BPA as safe, was to release a new safety report on the chemical this week, but delayed its decision. BPA was found in 9 out of 10 samples.)
Perchlorate, a rocket fuel component and, according to the EWG, a potent thyroid toxin that can disrupt production of hormones essential for normal brain development.
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a toxic flame retardant chemical that permeates computer circuit boards, synthetic fragrances (Galaxolide and Tonalide), and common cosmetics and detergents, was also detected for the first time.
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA, or C4), a member of the Teflon chemical family used to make non-stick and grease-, stain- and water-resistant coatings for cookware, textiles, food packaging and other consumer products, was also detected. 232 different chemicals, all told, were detected in the cord blood from these 10 babies.
Dr. Anila Jacob, EWG's senior scientist and co-author of the report, responded to conclusions that the only thing parents can really do is get political."That's accurate," she said. "There is no way to shop yourself out of this 100%. That's why we need good strong federal legislation. But there are some individual actions they can take to decrease the exposure. When Mom is pregnant she can decrease the use of canned foods, she can not microwave in plastic. Once she has her baby she can use a BPA-free baby bottle." I prefer glass. "Breastfeeding is best but if you're using formula, we recommend powder versus liquid canned infant formula. She should check with her pediatrician."
The way the current legislation is written, Jacob says, is backwards. "Chemicals are put in the marketplace without definitive safety testing. They have to be proven to be unsafe once they're on the market. During that period of time millions of people are exposed."
For the cord blood report, the babies were tested for over 300 chemicals. Most other studies only look at one or two chemicals. "We're concerned about what the mixtures are doing. I'm a physician. When I was training, we were taught about drug interactions, we have to consider those interactions. What about chemicals?" says Jacob. "Our study is showing each of these babies is exposed to at least 100 if not 200 chemicals each. We're very concerned about the individual effects but also the mixtures. Are there synergistic or cumulative effects? Our study brings these to mind. Mixture toxicity - how do these things effect us long term when all mixed up? We don't know."
The cord blood donations came from five different states. This is not a regional issue. This is the EWG's 11th biomonitoring project. They asked for minority cord blood because "in a sense our mission here is to map the degree of chemical contamination within the U.S. population," Jacob said.
"This is one segment that hasn't been tested very much for chemical exposure -- babies of racial or ethnic minority groups. We didn't look for chemicals based on mom's choices like smoking or alcohol, these are unintentional exposures with regard to consumer and home product chemicals."
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Plastics Chemical Phthalate May Lead to Preterm Birth
Nov 30th
Pregnant women who are exposed to higher levels of an increasingly controversial chemical in certain plastics may deliver their babies slightly earlier than women with less exposure, results of a study suggest.
The chemical, DEHP - short for di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate - is a "plasticizer" used widely in consumer products to help make vinyl plastic soft and flexible.
"Exposures (to DEHP) are ubiquitous," Dr. Robin M. Whyatt from Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health in New York City told Reuters Health. DEHP breakdown products "have been detected in 95% of the general U.S. population."
In recent preliminary studies, DEHP exposure has been linked to some health risks. In animal studies, for example, exposure to this and other so-called phthalates has been linked to lower-weight babies and shorter pregnancies.
In preliminary human studies, prenatal DEHP exposure has been shown to affect the timing of labor; however, the findings have been mixed.
They gauged DEHP exposure by measuring four DEHP breakdown products in urine samples collected from the 311 African American or Dominican women aged 18 to 35. All of the women were living in New York City and were in their third trimesters.
The team found that the higher the level of DEHP breakdown products in the mothers' urine during pregnancy, the earlier the infant was born, Whyatt told Reuters Health. Babies with the highest level of exposure were born about five days earlier than those exposed to the lowest levels.
It's important to note, the researchers say, that the women in the study delivered their babies at or near term. However, if prenatal DEHP exposure were to lead to more infants being delivered prematurely, on average, this could be cause for concern.
Steve Risotto, Senior Director, Phthalate Esters, at the American Chemistry Council industry group, noted that two earlier studies contradicted the current one, showing opposite effects. "There was also no association found between phthalate exposure and prematurity, as all of the births were full term," he told Reuters Health.
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Nine Ways for Pregnant Moms to Avoid Premature Birth
Nov 17th
The following statistics regarding premature birth are sobering, to say the least.
- Currently the number of premature births in the United States is over 540,000 per year.
- The United States' infant mortality rate exceeds that of China, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.
- It's estimated that simply by cutting the preterm birth rate in the US in half, to match Sweden's, would save approximately 8,000 babies.
- Even though preemies in the US are more likely to survive than anywhere else, they are still more likely to die than full-term infants.
- Just under half of premature babies grow up with some form of neurological or developmental disorder.
- Premature infants can develop lifelong health issues such as cerebral palsy, blindness, hearing loss and learning disabilities.
- Despite the increase in medical advances in the US, the amount of premature births has increased 36% in the last 25 years.
- It is the group of “late preterm” births, which occur after 34-37 weeks of pregnancy, that are the fastest growing subgroup of premature births.
- Get proper prenatal care throughout your pregnancy.
- Don’t smoke, drink or take drugs while pregnant.
- Avoid violent or abusive situations.
- Lower stress levels. Only take on as much as you are capable of, avoid extremely stressful situations and practice stress-relief exercises as needed.
- Avoid early elective inductions and cesareans. These might be used in emergency situations for the better of mom and baby, but elective cesareans and inductions should not be undertaken before 39 weeks of pregnancy.
- Eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet, including fish or fish oil and folic acid.
- Exercise regularly.
- Avoid exposure to environmental toxins like car exhaust, pesticides and phthalates.
- Avoid working situations where you need to stand for long periods of time.
- To learn more about premature labor, click here.
- KeepEmCookin.com is another resource that I would strongly recommend for patients at risk for preterm labor
Phthalates in Pregnant Women Affect Masculinity of Baby Boys
Nov 16th
The fact that hormone-disrupting chemicals present in various household products are interfering with the development of children has been substantiated by researchers at the University of Rochester in New York State, who have reported that baby boys born to mothers with above-normal levels of 'phthalates' generally depict less masculine behavior.
The study, published in the International Journal of Andrology, states that phthalates block the activity of male hormones like androgens, thereby changing masculine brain development.
The findings of the study were based on a phthalate-tracing test that the researchers conducted on the urine samples from mothers in the 28th week of pregnancy. The women, who gave birth to 74 boys and 71 girls, during 2000-2003, were contacted again by researchers, who then inquired from the mothers about the personalities of their toddlers, the kind of toys and activities they liked.
It was found that boys born to mothers with high phthalate levels were less likely to play with guns, cars, and trains; and mostly indulged in “gender neutral” activities, like sports.
The study’s lead author, Shanna H. Swan, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said that the results of the study are “consistent with our prior findings that link phthalates to altered male genital development,” as well as “compatible with current knowledge about how hormones mold sex differences in the brain, and thus behavior.”
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