30 Jun BPA & Phthalates in Pregnancy
Article credit: Environmental Defence
Last week, new results from MIREC – a major Canadian study of maternal exposure to environmental contaminants – were released, detailing findings on pregnant women’s exposure to phthalates and BPA, two chemicals linked to numerous health concerns.
The study found phthalate metabolites, including metabolites of probable carcinogen DEHP, in over 95 per cent of the urine samples. This is very concerning because some phthalates have been linked to birth defects and risk of spontaneous pregnancy loss. The study also found that average BPA concentration in urine is comparable to, but slightly lower than, the general population results published in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS).
More research needs to be done to determine how chemicals affect our health, considering that Canadians are exposed before we’re even born. Last year, our Pre-Polluted: A Report on Toxic Substances in the Umbilical Cord Blood of Canadian Newborns found 137 chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of three GTA infants, with 132 of those chemicals reported to cause cancer in humans or animals.
For more information on how to avoid endocrine disruptors, check out our tips:
https://environmentaldefence.ca/issues/toxic-nation/tips-and-guides