Is Your Unborn Baby Contaminated?

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/aug/6/unborn_baby.htm

 

Is Your Unborn Baby Contaminated?

 

Babies

 

The environment is loaded with harmful toxins such as mercury,

gasoline byproducts and pesticides that present a real public health

risk. However, it's a truly sad state of affairs when it can be said

that such chemicals are finding their way into the developing bodies

of unborn babies.

 

Considering chemical exposures in the womb or during infancy can be

significantly more harmful than exposures later in life, the following

report highlights the nation's dire need for immediate action.

 

Facts Don't Lie

 

The report was released by the Environmental Working Group, a

nonprofit public-interest research group known for making connections

between chemical exposure and adverse health conditions.

 

Based on tests of 10 random samples of umbilical-cord blood (a

reflection of what the mother passes to the baby via the placenta),

the group found an average of 287 contaminants--209 of which had never

been detected in cord blood before. Of the detected chemicals:

 

* 180 cause cancer in humans and animals.

* 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system.

* 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.

 

Mercury, pesticides, fire retardants, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

and the Teflon chemical known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were

among the discovered chemicals.

 

A Move in the Right Direction

 

Given the horrific results, the survey prompted several members of

Congress to push for legislation that would strengthen controls on

chemicals polluting the environment.

 

Reuters July 14, 2005

 

Environmental Working Group July 14, 2005

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

When people think about air pollution, they usually think about smog,

acid rain, CFCs, and other forms of outdoor air pollution. But did you

know that air pollution can also exist inside homes and other

buildings? It can, and every year, the health of many people,

including pregnant women, and, as this study suggests, unborn babies,

is affected by chemical substances present in the air within buildings.

 

Air is the ocean you breathe. Air supplies you with oxygen, which is

essential for your body to live. Air is 99.9 percent nitrogen, oxygen,

water vapor and inert gases. Human activities can release substances

into the air, some of which can cause problems for you, plants and

animals.

 

Pollution also needs to be considered inside your homes, offices, and

schools. Some of these pollutants can be created by indoor activities

such as smoking and cooking. In the United States, we spend about

80-90 percent of our time inside buildings, and so our exposure to

harmful indoor pollutants can be serious. It is therefore important to

consider both indoor and outdoor air pollution.

 

You probably spend a large portion of your time indoors--as much as

80-90 percent of your life. You work, study, eat, drink and sleep in

enclosed environments where air circulation may be restricted. For

these reasons, some experts feel that more people suffer from the

effects of indoor air pollution than outdoor pollution.

 

There are many sources of indoor air pollution. Tobacco smoke, cooking

and heating appliances, and vapors from building materials, paints,

furniture, etc., cause pollution inside buildings.

 

So please consider indoor pollution as something that you frequently

have control over and make careful choices when selecting what you put

inside your home or office.

 

You might want to visit the U.S. government's Web site for many

practical solutions on how you can address indoor air pollution.

 

Related Articles:

 

How to Avoid the Top 10 Most Common Toxins

 

Autism Rates Rise With Increased Mercury Pollution

 

Air Pollution Increases Death Rate