Chemicals and pregnancy

Fact: Hazardous chemicals that are used in everyday household products end up in the bodies of unborn children via the mother.

Has this been proven?

A study conducted for Greenpeace and WWF-UK by TNO, analysed blood samples donated by a number of women and confirmed that hazardous chemicals are unwittingly passed from mother to child. Previous studies had already reported the presence of hazardous chemicals in human blood and tissues and the ability of some chemicals to pass the placenta. This study further confirms that known or suspected hazardous chemicals from eight chemical groups are commonly present in umbilical cord blood.

Where are these chemicals?

Hazardous chemicals can be found everywhere. They are released into the environment at several points in their lifecycle and travel in the air and in water to even remote areas like the Alps and the Arctic. Some of the most hazardous chemicals do not break down easily and can accumulate throughout the food chain. It is therefore very likely that some of these substances will eventually end up in the human body or in animals.

How do people and unborn babies become contaminated?

Undoubtedly there are many routes of exposure, which contribute to the patterns of contamination observed. Food has long been thought to be the primary route of exposure for most persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals. However, in recent years greater attention has been given to the potential exposure directly through the use of products containing hazardous ingredients and indirectly through their contamination of the indoor environment.
In recent years, Greenpeace has analysed a range of everyday consumer products for the presence of a number of (potentially) hazardous chemicals and looked for these same chemicals in house dust and rainwater. The results add weight to the suspicion that these chemicals can ‘leak’ from products. Follow-up investigations by Greenpeace and others have sought to research the extent to which these chemicals actually end up in our bodies, by collecting and analysing blood samples from human volunteers.

Tell me more about the results…

The results of recent blood research projects by Greenpeace and WWF confirm that we all have hazardous chemicals in our blood, including chemicals that are contained in normal consumer products. Of particular concern is the impact of exposure to these substances on (unborn) children. The unprotected foetus is extremely vulnerable to hazardous chemicals. Mothers can unwittingly pass on these substances to their child during pregnancy and through breast feeding (which should not deter mothers from breast feeding as the benefits of breast feeding are still widely acknowledged).

Conclusion:

Exposure to small amounts of some chemicals during early development can lead to serious health consequences in adulthood.
Greenpeace and WWF have published various reports over the last few decades documenting the state of scientific knowledge on the distribution and possible effects of these chemical substances. In some cases, researchers have reported alarming correlations between exposure to hazardous chemicals and certain health and developmental effects in animals.

Ok, So what if I’m only receiving low doses of exposure?

Low doses

Only relatively recently have scientists begun to unravel the effects of long-term exposure to low doses of chemicals, as opposed to the high doses which were previously examined (Dorey, 2003). They are now also researching the effects of combinations of chemical substances. What is becoming increasingly obvious through this work is how little we know about the possible environmental and health effects of the majority of chemicals on the global market. At the same time, however, some of the emerging evidence concerning chemicals used in everyday products gives substantial cause for concern. It is now clear, for example, that many chemicals can act together and have a cumulative effect.

How likely is it that the chemicals found at the concentrations reported are causing adverse effects on the growth and development of the unborn child?

We cannot be sure – in fact, it is unlikely that we will ever be sure. Additional research is certainly necessary. However, it is already possible to conclude that exposure of the developing foetus to a continuous low dose of a complex mixture of persistent, bioaccumulative and bioactive chemicals is a serious cause for concern.

‘There is a worrying increase in health problems that can be partially explained by our use of chemicals, such as growing numbers of hyperactive children, dramatically dropping sperm counts; increases in testicular cancer, breast cancer and other types of cancer.’ Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment (2005)

It is impossible to establish with certainty that our exposure to hazardous chemicals has contributed substantially to the trends outlined in the statement above. Nevertheless, the indications of such a contribution are too numerous to be ignored (Dorey, 2003). Very recently, for example, the presence of elevated levels of phthalates such as DEHP in house dust has been correlated with an increased incidence of asthma, eczema and rhinitis in children (Bornehag et al. 2004).
Greenpeace has recently reported the presence of hazardous chemicals in house dust (Greenpeace Netherlands, 2001, Santillo et al. 2003a) and in rainwater (Greenpeace Netherlands, 2003).
We all have hazardous chemicals in our blood. Studies conducted by Greenpeace and WWF clearly indicate that our bodies are contaminated with man-made chemicals like organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, phthalates, brominatedflame retardants and artificial musks. These are chemicals that are contained in many consumer products and are therefore part of our daily lives. But these substances can ‘leak’ from the products and sooner or later end up in the environment and in our bodies.
All possible steps should be taken on a precautionary basis to avoid such exposure in the womb.
This can only be done by controlling the exposure of the mother to these chemicals – and that means eliminating particularly hazardous substances from the everyday products we use and, ultimately, from the environment in which we live.