UCSF Report Says Banned Chemicals Showing Up In Pregnant Women
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - A new report from UCSF found that toxic chemicals were detected in the blood of almost every pregnant woman studied in America.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
Researchers suggested, though, that there were simple things that could reduce a woman's exposure.
Women who weren't even born yet when some of the toxins were outlawed, were found to have the chemicals in their bloodstream. In fact, 99 - 100% of pregnant women had at least 43 different chemicals in their system.
"We found some banned chemicals," explained Tracey Woodruff, director of the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment.
96% of the study participants had BPA - from plastic bottles - in their blood.
Chemicals, Woodruff warned, were potentially harmful to mother and fetus.
"Even low exposures during pregnancy can have some type of adverse health repercussion."
Woodruff also warned that the chemicals were in common consumer and beauty products, fatty foods and household dust. Simply vacuuming more often, washing your hands, and eating a lower-fat diet could help.
"You can lower your exposure to some chemicals and also you can mitigate sometimes harmful exposures to some of the chemicals."
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