Pregnant women exposed to a common chemical found in plastics

Pregnant women exposed to chemical more likely to have aggressive girls: study
Provided by: The Canadian Press
Written by: Camille Bains, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Oct. 6, 2009

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Pregnant women exposed to a common chemical found in plastics are more likely to have daughters with aggressive and hyperactive behaviours, suggests a new study that tested two-year-olds.

The University of North Carolina study, which included a senior scientist from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, is the first to examine the link between exposure to bisphenol A during pregnancy and behavior problems in kids.

The results are consistent with other studies showing the impact of the chemical on juvenile female animals.

Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, has also been linked to reproductive problems and diabetes.

It's used to make hard, clear reusable water bottles, baby bottles and resins that line the inside of metal food and beverage cans.

Last October, Canada became the first country in the world to ban BPA-containing baby bottles. Some U.S. jurisdictions, including Cincinnati, have legislation that bans or limits the use of the chemical in consumer products.

Bruce Lanphear, a Simon Fraser University professor of children's environmental health, said the study suggests pregnant women start thinking about the effects of bisphenol A long before they lug home baby bottles.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal "Environmental Health Perspectives," measured the BPA levels in urine samples taken from 249 pregnant women in Cincinnati at 16 and 26 weeks pregnancy and again when they gave birth.

Lanphear said the women were followed from early pregnancy until their children were two years old.

He said the chemical concentrations between 13 and 16 weeks of pregnancy were most strongly associated with behavior problems in girls, but the study found no significant effect on boys.

The girls will be tested again when they're five, at an age children's behaviours tend to be more stable, said Lanphear, who is also senior scientist at the Child and Family Research Institute at B.C. Children's Hospital.

He noted that industry initially fought results of various studies that suggested there were only inconsequential links between lead-based paint and children's behaviour and that pattern appears to be repeating itself for companies producing plastics using bisphenol A.

"What we found over the past 10 or more years is that the kinds of subtle shifts in behaviors or cognition in very young kids oftentimes become manifest as (psychological issues) in older kids and adolescents," Lanphear said.

"At a minimum, we should ask industries to begin to label their products as to whether they contain bisphenol A so we give families a choice when they make purchases."

"Environmental chemicals should be tested for their safety or their toxicity before they're marketed."

Rick Smith, executive director of Toronto-based Environmental Defence, called the study significant, saying the chemical industry can no longer point to animal studies as not being applicable to human health.

"Not only does this underline the importance of getting the chemical out of baby bottles but we now need to take the next step and get it out of other areas where kids are exposed, most notably infant formula containers," Smith said.

However, the American Chemistry Council expressed its reservations about the research pointing out what it called "significant limitations" in the study design and its inability to establish cause-effect relationships.

"The results of this preliminary, and severely limited study cannot be considered meaningful for human health unless the findings are replicated in a more robust study," the group representing the industry said in a statement Tuesday.

In February, researchers at the University of Guelph warned that parents should get rid of anything containing bisphenol A that will be used by babies or pregnant women.

A study by a toxicologist and a graduate of the southern Ontario university found that the chemical lingers in the bodies of newborns and infants.
Posted by aisto at 8:11 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
How to Detoxify Your Home
How to Detoxify Your Home
The products you use every day could be impacting your family's health.
By TVOParents.com

We’ve talked a lot about taking care of our external environment, but there are things you can do for your internal environment as well.

Take a closer look at the chemicals you use every day to make your life hassle-free. The recent decision to pull plastic baby bottles off the shelves frightened many parents and showed all of us that the products we rely on to make our lives easier may not be healthy for our families.

If they're available on the market, don’t assume they’re safe:

What’s the big deal, we wouldn’t be allowed to use these if the government didn’t think they were safe, right? Wrong.

The Toronto-based group Environmental Defence tested five families across the country for 68 chemicals. They found 46 known toxic chemicals in the blood of these families. In many cases, the toxins were higher in children than in adults.

They found 38 carcinogens, 23 hormone disruptors, 12 respiratory toxins, 38 reproductive/developmental toxins, and 19 neurotoxins in their volunteers. Read the report.

Fe de Leon from the Canadian Environmental Law Association, says, “We don’t know what’s in the various products that we are being exposed to on a daily basis. We’re getting evidence that there are problems and certainly the way that the regulations are implemented doesn’t adequately deal with toxic chemicals that we already know about.”

So where should you start to detoxify your home?

Get rid of the worst offenders:

PFOA (pentadecafluorooctanoic acid), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) have been linked to cancer and hormone disruption. Some of these chemicals do not break down at all, ever. They are in the air we breathe, our food, our homes and our workplaces. Major lawsuits have been won against the manufacturers using these chemicals in other countries and some companies in the U.S. have been forced to phase out their use in the next decade. They are found in:

* Non-stick pans (brands such as Teflon, Dupont, T-Fal, Silverstone)*
* Stain-resistant clothes
* GORE-TEX
* Microwave popcorn bags
* Fast food containers
* Fire fighting foam
* Candy wrappers
* Pizza boxes

The solution? Chuck your non-stick pans and buy stainless steel or cast iron ones that require elbow grease to keep clean. Buy cotton, hemp or bamboo fabrics that are not treated with stain-resistant chemicals.

* Many people believe that if their non-stick pan is not scratched, it’s safe. Not true. Toxic cancer-causing fumes are released into the air when the pan is heated at high temperatures.

Pitch the plastic:

Bisphenol A is the real baddy here and it’s not just found in baby bottles. Take a look at the hard plastic bottle you might use when you work out. If it has the recycling # 7 on the bottom, it may contain bisphenol A. Throw it out.

Bisphenol A is also found in the lining of metal food cans, plastic wrap and dental sealants. It is a hormone disruptor that has been linked to birth defects, reproductive problems, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

What should you do?

* Do not heat plastic if you must use it.
* Do not put plastic in the dishwasher.
* Microwave food in non-plastic, microwave-safe containers.
* When microwaving, cover food in paper towel rather than plastic wrap.
* Use glass baby bottles.

Clean green:

You may have a shiny, clean, germ-free home but the cleaners you are using to get it that way could be dangerous. Why not try some greener solutions?

Here is a list of products that you can use:

* Good old vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner. Mix one cup with one cup of water and clean away.
* Baking soda is great for getting rid of odours. Leave an open box out and it will absorb odours.
* Castile soap is soap made with vegetable oil and can be mixed with vinegar and water to clean wood floors.
* Instead of bleach, use a ½ cup of borax in the wash to get those whites whiter
* Check out more recipes to clean green.
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Conclusion:

The bottom line is we need to be more aware of the products our families use every day. If you're unsure about the safety of products in your home, try greener alternatives. Also, call on the government to take action.

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For a link to this article, go to:

http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/family-relationships/articles/parenting/tvo/4019


To find out more about the products that I prefer:

www.saferisbetter.com/freedon