U.S. Unborn Babies Soaked in Chemicals, Survey Finds

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WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) – Unborn U.S. babies are soaking in a stew of chemicals, including mercury, gasoline byproducts and pesticides, according to a report released on Thursday.



Although
the effects on the babies are not clear, the survey prompted several
members of Congress to press for legislation that would strengthen
controls on chemicals in the environment.



The
report by the Environmental Working Group is based on tests of 10
samples of umbilical cord blood taken by the American Red Cross. They
found an average of 287 contaminants in the blood, including mercury,
fire retardants, pesticides and the Teflon chemical PFOA.



“These
10 newborn babies … were born polluted,” said New York Rep. Louise
Slaughter, who publicized the findings at a news conference on Thursday.



“If ever
we had proof that our nation's pollution laws aren't working, it's
reading the list of industrial chemicals in the bodies of babies who
have not yet lived outside the womb,” Slaughter, a Democrat, said.



Cord blood reflects what the mother passes to the baby through the placenta.



“Of the
287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood, we know that 180
cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and
nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in
animal tests,” the report said.



Blood tests did not show how the chemicals got into the mothers' bodies.



MERCURY AND PESTICIDES



Among
the chemicals found in the cord blood were methylmercury, produced by
coal-fired power plants and certain industrial processes. People can
breathe it in or eat it in seafood and it causes brain and nerve damage.



Also
found were polyaromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are produced by
burning gasoline and garbage and which may cause cancer;
flame-retardant chemicals called polybrominated dibenzodioxins and
furans; and pesticides including DDT and chlordane.



The same
group analyzed the breast milk of mothers across the United States in
2003 and found varying levels of chemicals, including flame retardants
known as PBDEs. This latest analysis also found PBDEs in cord blood.



The
Environmental Working Group report coincided with a Government
Accountability Office report issued on Wednesday that said the
Environmental Protection Agency does not have the powers it needs to
fully regulate toxic chemicals.



The GAO,
the investigative arm of Congress, found that the EPA's Toxic
Substances Control Act gives only “limited assurance” that new
chemicals entering the market are safe and that the EPA only rarely
assesses chemicals already on the market.



“Today,
chemicals are being used to make baby bottles, food packaging and other
products that have never been fully evaluated for their health effects
on children — and some of these chemicals are turning up in our
blood,” said New Jersey Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who plans to
co-sponsor a bill to require more testing of toxic chemicals.



Pollutants
and other chemicals are believed to cause a range of illnesses. But
scientists agree the only way to really sort out the effects is to
measure how much gets into people and then see what happens to their
health.



(Source)