Hundreds of industrial chemicals found in U.S. newborns
By Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, December 3, 2009 Chemicals from cosmetics, perfumes and other fragrances were detected along with dozens of other industrial compounds in the umbilical cords of African American, Asian and Latino infants in the United States, according to a national study released Wednesday. Laboratory tests paid for by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group and Rachel’s Network found 232 chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical cords of the 10 babies tested in five states between December 2007 and June 2008. “It is not a surprise because studies for many years have shown synthetic and industrial chemicals in humans, but it is particularly concerning that the developing fetus is being exposed,” said Megan Schwarzman, a family physician at San Francisco General Hospital and a research scientist in environmental public health at UC Berkeley. “This is a particularly vulnerable time, and there is no reason for the chemicals to be there.” It was the 11th time the working group has conducted laboratory tests of human blood for chemicals in household and industrial products. Overall, the working group, which focuses on environmental health issues, found 414 chemicals and pollutants in 186 people of all ages and races, including Caucasians. The latest study was the first time newborns of minority mothers were exclusively tested. … Seven of the 10 babies had in their umbilical cord blood synthetic musks known as Galaxolide and Tonalide, which are toxic to aquatic life and have been shown in preliminary studies to cause hormonal changes. … “It means the chemicals are crossing the placenta and getting into babies in the womb,” said Stacy Malkan, a member of San Francisco’s Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the author of Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry. Another chemical found in the umbilical cords was bisphenol A, or BPA, a synthetic estrogen used in plastics that has been linked to breast cancer and hormonal problems. A study of Chinese factory workers released last month found an increased risk of sexual dysfunction from exposure to large amounts of the chemical. It was the first time the synthetic musks and BPA were found in newborns. …
