Exposure to Everyday Chemicals during Pregnancy may Up Preterm Birth Risk

Avoid phthalate exposure during pregnancy: Exposure to everyday chemicals (phthalates) during pregnancy may increase preterm birth risk.

Highlights

Exposure to everyday chemicals (phthalates) during pregnancy may increase preterm birth risk
Pregnant moms who are exposed to multiple phthalates found in personal care products, detergents and food packaging are more likely to give birth early
Eating home-cooked food and using phthalate-free labeled products can protect pregnant women

Exposure to harmful chemicals (phthalates) in everyday life can put pregnant moms at a higher risk of delivering a premature baby, reports a new study.//

Pregnant women who were exposed to multiple phthalates during pregnancy had an increased risk of preterm birth, according to new research by the National Institutes of Health.

Mothers Exposure to Phthalates Alters Infants Cognitive Function
Male infants, in particular, tended to process information more slowly if their mothers had been exposed to higher concentrations of phthalates known to interfere with androgenic hormones.

‘Too much exposure to phthalates during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature delivery. Therefore, eating home-cooked foods and phthalate-free products can protect pregnant moms.’
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What are Phthalates?

Phthalates are chemicals used in personal care products, such as cosmetics, as well as in solvents, detergents, and food packaging.

After analyzing data from more than 6,000 pregnant women in the United States, researchers found that women with higher concentrations of several phthalate metabolites in their urine were more likely to deliver their babies preterm, which is delivering three or more weeks before a mother’s due date.

“Having a preterm birth can be dangerous for both baby and mom, so it is important to identify risk factors that could prevent it,” said Kelly Ferguson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, and the senior author on the study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Exposure to Phthalates Shown to Possibly Affect Reproductive Health of Male Newborns
Male infants whose mothers were exposed to chemicals called phthalates during pregnancy may have a greater risk of future infertility.

In this study, the largest study to date on this topic, Ferguson and her team pooled data from 16 studies conducted across the United States that included individual participant data on prenatal urinary phthalate metabolites (representing exposure to phthalates) as well as the timing of delivery. Researchers analyzed data from a total of 6,045 pregnant women who delivered between 1983-2018. Nine percent, or 539, of the women in the study delivered preterm. Phthalate metabolites were detected in more than 96% of urine samples.

Higher concentrations of most phthalate metabolites examined were associated with slightly higher odds of preterm birth. Exposure to four of the 11 phthalates found in the pregnant women was associated with a 14-16% greater probability of having a preterm birth. The most consistent findings were for exposure to a phthalate that is used commonly in personal care products like nail polish and cosmetics.

Prenatal Exposure to Phthalate Linked With Shorter Anogenital Distance
Researchers studying the effects of prenatal exposure to the phthalate DiNP have found that it was linked with shorter anogenital distance (AGD) in Swedish boys at the age of 21 months.

The researchers also used statistical models to simulate interventions that reduce phthalate exposures. They found that reducing the mixture of phthalate metabolite levels by 50% could prevent preterm births by 12% on average. Interventions targeting behaviors, such as trying to select phthalate-free personal care products (if listed on label), voluntary actions from companies to reduce phthalates in their products, or changes in standards and regulations could contribute to exposure reduction and protect pregnancies.

“It is difficult for people to completely eliminate exposure to these chemicals in everyday life, but our results show that even small reductions within a large population could have positive impacts on both mothers and their children,” said Barrett Welch, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at NIEHS and first author on the study.

Exposure to Common Environmental Chemicals Increases Obesity Risk
Obesity and diabetes risk can be increased when individuals are exposed to common environmental chemicals like phthalates. Therefore, there is a need to create awareness among people about the adverse effects of endocrine disruptors and to minimize their contact with these harmful chemicals.

Smart Ways to Limit Your Exposure to Phthalates

Eating fresh, home-cooked food, avoiding processed food that comes in plastic containers or wrapping, and selecting fragrance-free products or those labeled “phthalate-free,” are examples of things people can do that may reduce their exposures. Changes to the amount and types of products that contain phthalates could also reduce exposures.

The researchers are conducting additional studies to better understand the mechanisms by which exposure to phthalates can affect pregnancy and to determine if there are effective ways for mothers to reduce their exposures.

Source-Eurekalert