Dear Friends:
Several studies, including some done in Holland, have showed that the
impact of pollution is greatest in pregnancy. (Human milk is still best for
human infants.)
Unborn Babies Soaked in Chemicals, Study Finds
By Maggie Fox, Reuters
WASHINGTON (July 14) - Unborn babies are soaking in a stew of chemicals,
including mercury, gasoline byproducts and pesticides, according to a report
to be released on Thursday.
Although the effects on the babies are not clear, the survey prompted
several members of Congress to press for legislation that would strengthen controls
on chemicals in the environment.
The report by the Environmental Working Group is based on tests of 10
samples of umbilical cord blood taken by the American Red Cross. They found an
average of 287 contaminants in the blood, including mercury, fire retardants,
pesticides and the Teflon chemical PFOA.
"If ever we had proof that our nation's pollution laws aren't working, it's
reading the list of industrial chemicals in the bodies of babies who have not
yet lived outside the womb," Slaughter, a Democrat, said.
Cord blood reflects what the mother passes to the baby through the placenta.
"Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood, we know that 180
cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous
system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests,"
the report said.
Among the chemicals found in the cord blood were methylmercury, produced by
coal-fired power plants and certain industrial processes. People can breathe
it in or eat it in seafood and it causes brain and nerve damage.
Also found were polyaromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are produced by
burning gasoline and garbage and which may cause cancer; flame-retardant
chemicals called polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans; and pesticides including
DDT and chlordane.
The same group analyzed the breast milk of mothers across the United States
in 2003 and found varying levels of chemicals, including flame retardants
known as PBDEs. This latest analysis also found PBDEs in cord blood.
The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, found that the EPA's Toxic
Substances Control Act gives only "limited assurance" that new chemicals entering
the market are safe and that the EPA only rarely assesses chemicals already
on the market.
"Today, chemicals are being used to make baby bottles, food packaging and
other products that have never been fully evaluated for their health effects on
children -- and some of these chemicals are turning up in our blood," said
New Jersey Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who plans to co-sponsor a bill to
require more testing of toxic chemicals.
warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Maternal-Child Adjunct Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human Lactation
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com
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