Pregnant women are at increased risk from exposure to chemicals in plastics and pesticides, according to a new study from The University of California San Francisco (UCSF). The study reportedly followed pregnant women over a 12-year period. Many of the chemicals found were replacement chemicals – new forms of chemicals designed to replace ones that had been banned or phased out, and that may be just as harmful as those they replaced, according to an article from UCSF.
The findings reportedly demonstrate that the number and scope of chemicals in pregnant women are increasing during a very vulnerable time of development for the mother and the fetus. The study also finds higher exposure for non-white women, those with lower educational attainment, single women or those who had been exposed to tobacco. Latina women specifically were found to have high levels of parabens, phthalates and bisphenols, according to the article.
Read more from UCSF here.
