Video Clip: Pregnant women have numerous chemicals in their blood

A sobering clip on the amount of chemicals found in the bodies of pregnant women:



One of the main routes of chemical exposure is inhalation. If your indoor air cleaner only removes dust than your are not protected against airborne chemicals. For more information on activated carbon + HEPA filtration connect with us via live chat on www.allerair.com or on twitter @allerair.

New evidence that BPA can disrupt women’s reproductive systems, causing chromosome damage, miscarriages, birth defects

A Washington State University researcher has found new evidence that exposure to the plastic additive BPA can disrupt women’s reproductive systems, causing chromosome damage, miscarriages and birth defects.

Writing in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, WSU geneticist Patricia Hunt and colleagues at WSU and the University of California, Davis, report seeing reproductive abnormalities in rhesus monkeys with BPA levels similar to those of humans. By using an animal with the most human-like reproductive system, the research bolsters earlier work by Hunt and others documenting widespread reproductive effects in rodents.

"The concern is exposure to this chemical, that we’re all exposed to could increase the risk of miscarriages and the risk of babies born with birth defects like Down Syndrome,” says Hunt. "The really stunning thing about the effect is we’re dosing grandma, it’s crossing the placenta and hitting her developing fetus, and if that fetus is a female, it’s changing the likelihood that that female is going to ovulate normal eggs. It’s a three-for-one hit.”

The research also adds to the number of organs affected by BPA, or bisphenol A, which is found in plastic bottles, the linings of aluminum cans and heat-activated cash register receipts. This May, Hunt was part of another paper in PNAS reporting that the additive altered mammary development in the primate, increasing the risk of cancer.

Hunt’s colleagues at UC, Davis exposed different groups of gestating monkeys to single daily doses of BPA and low-level continuous doses and looked at how they affected the reproductive systems of female fetuses. She saw that in the earliest stage of the adult’s egg development, the egg cell failed to divide properly. Earlier mouse studies showed similar disturbances translated into genetic defects in the mature egg.

A fertilized egg with the wrong number of chromosomes will almost always fail to come to term, leading to a spontaneous abortion or progeny with birth defects.

In monkeys exposed continuously, Hunt saw further complications in the third trimester as fetal eggs were not packaged appropriately in follicles, structures in which they develop. Eggs need to be packaged properly to grow, develop and mature.

"That’s not good,” says Hunt, "because it looks to us like you’re just throwing away a huge number of the eggs that a female would have. It raises concerns about whether or not she’s going to have a really short reproductive lifespan.”

Study eases concerns about flame retardants and health effects on newborns

Study examined the effects of fire
retardants on newborns' thyroids.

Study after study seems to find links between chemicals and potentially major health effects, but now there is some good news: A new study found no link between thyroid hormone levels and flame retardants in the blood of newborn babies, according to a Reuters report.

The study focused on PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) that are used in common household items such as carpets and furniture and easily off-gas into the rooms.

Flame retardants can be detected in the blood of 97 percent of Americans, and previous studies have linked them with a wide range of complications, including disrupted thyroid function in pregnant women.

In this new study by California researchers, nearly 300 pregnant women were examined as well as their babies after birth.

The researchers found no link between the mothers’ chemical exposure and the newborns’ thyroid hormone levels.

Still, the experts warn that pregnant women in other parts of the country may be exposed to higher levels of flame retardants, and that these may affect their newborns.

Animal studies have suggested as much, and the researchers have warned that timing may alter the results. They examined the newborns’ blood one day after birth, but results may be different in older children, they say.

Health effects of flame retardants

Older children may be affected more,
study authors say.

Even though many flame retardants are being phased out, experts still worry about high levels of exposure, since many common household products are currently impregnated with the chemicals.

While most people today absorb the chemicals by ingesting household dust, once these products land in a landfill and start breaking down they can enter the environment and become part of the food chain.

See also our previous post, Growing Concerns Over Flame Retardants.

Exposure to environmental pollutants

Reducing exposure to indoor air pollutants is easy with an air purifier that contains the right filtration media: Activated carbon and HEPA.

AllerAir specializes in room air purifiers for odor and chemical control with superior particle removal as well.

The complete air filtration systems can remove the widest range of indoor air contaminants, including VOCs (volatile organic compounds), odors, gases, particles, dust, bacteria, viruses and mold.

Contact us for more information.
 

Doctor advises pregnant women to reduce chemical exposure

Exposure to chemicals during pregnancy
can affect the developing fetus, experts say.

When you’re pregnant, you’re not just eating for two – you should be health-conscious enough to give your unborn child the best possible head start.

This includes all the common-sense steps pregnant women are taking, including eating right, taking vitamins and folic acid as well as eliminating alcohol and tobacco.

But it should also include steps toward better environmental health, says Dr. Doris Rapp, an experienced physician and expert on all the hidden household and environmental hazards in a recent article on HealthNewsDigest.com.

While everyone is exposed to certain chemicals and environmental pollutants on a regular basis and may not show any signs or symptoms, the same exposures can be harmful to a developing fetus in the womb, Rapp says.

Bad for you: PCBs
Rapp is especially warning against exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, that are commonly used in industrial pesticides and could be present at the office, in the water or food. These pesticides have been linked to birth defects, lower birth weight, developmental delays and many other health effects.

Bad for you: Bisphenol-A and phthalates
These chemicals are derived from World War II nerve agents and are highly toxic.

Tips to limit exposure:

• Stay away from pesticide treated areas
• Eat organic foods and avoid pesticide-laden foods (consult EWG’s dirty dozen list)
• Use natural cleaning products such as white vinegar and baking soda
• If you buy new furniture or products, let them off-gas before using them
• Use a portable air purifier to remove airborne chemicals, odors, gases, particles and biological contaminants - it needs an activated carbon + HEPA filtration system for best results

Contact AllerAir for more information on our air purifiers for the home and office, air purifiers for the baby’s room or nursery and many more options.

Workplace exposure to pollutants can harm unborn children, study found

Most offices and other workplaces expose pregnant women
to a variety of pollutants that may affect their offspring.

As our colleagues at Electrocorp report today, a Danish study has found that breathing indoor air pollutants during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of the baby developing asthma later.

According to a Reuters article, the researchers analyzed the data of more than 45,000 children at age 7 and found that 18.6 percent developed asthma after their mothers had been exposed to low-molecular weight particles at work during pregnancy.

This was a slight increase from the general growing risk of developing asthma, which is 16.1 percent of the general population.

The study adjusted for risk factors such as age, BMI, allergy and hypersensitivities, smoking, medication and pets, but researchers warned that other factors may have influenced the results, which are not easily accounted for.

"Whilst a link has been found, our results at this stage are modest and further research is needed into specific chemicals and substances to determine those that could be most harmful," the study’s leading researcher was quoted as saying.

Cleaner indoor air at work with air cleaners

In many workplaces, existing ventilation systems are simply incapable of providing workers with enough air exchanges and enough fresh air to keep exposure to indoor air pollutants to a minimum.

Most indoor environments are filled with pollutants of a chemical nature (VOCs from building materials, paints, electronic equipment, cleaning products, etc), biological nature (mold growth due to moisture or humidity issues, bacteria and viruses) and particulate matter (dust and particles, which can also be laced with other toxins).

AllerAir offers portable and highly efficient air purifiers for the home and office, which can remove the widest range of indoor air pollutants with their powerful activated carbon + HEPA filtration system.

For industrial air cleaners that can treat industry-specific indoor air contaminants quickly and efficiently, browse Electrocorp's solutions for various industry applications.

Contact AllerAir for more information and to find the best air purifier for your needs.
  

Exposure to Certain Pesticides Impacts Child Cognitive Development

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that exposure during pregnancy to a family of pesticides called organophosphates may impair child cognitive development.

From 1998 to 2002, the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Study enrolled a multiethnic population of more than 400 women in their third trimester of pregnancy.

The research team collected urine samples during pregnancy and analyzed them for the evidence of metabolized pesticides. The women were then invited to participate in follow-up interviews when their children were ages 12 months, 24 months, and six to nine years.

At 12 and 24 months the children were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant development, which is a standardized instrument that measures cognitive and psychomotor development in young children. Between the ages of six and nine years, the researchers administered skill and intelligence tests. The researchers found that exposure to organophosphates negatively impacted perceptual reasoning, a measure of nonverbal problem-solving skills.

"Manufacturers withdrew chlorpyrifos and diazinon, two types of organophosphate pesticides, from the residential market. Despite this, general population exposure to organophosphate pesticides is ongoing," said Stephanie Engel, PhD, who led the study while on faculty at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Dr. Engel’s team also examined the influence of variants in a key enzyme that metabolizes organophosphates, paraoxonase 1 (PON1). They found that the negative effects of organophosphates were limited to children of mothers who carried a genotype associated with a less efficient version of this enzyme.

"Nearly a third of the mothers in this study carried the PON1 genotype that would put their children at highest risk of negative effects from organophosphate pesticide exposure," said Dr. Engel. "Our study will be published along with two independent studies that examined prenatal organophosphate pesticide exposure in relation to childhood IQ using similar research methods. There are definite similarities in our findings that, taken as a whole, warrant careful consideration."

AllerAir recommends air cleaners with both a deep-bed carbon filter for airborne chemicals and odors and a HEPA filter for fine particles for pregnant women and families with young children.

For more information on removing airborne chemicals from indoor air chat with an air quality expert , follow us on twitter or visit our website.