Women and Chemicals

Where are women exposed to chemicals?
The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) gives a very good
overview on studies showing the negative effects of certain chemicals
during critical windows of development during pregnancy. 70
In 2010 a study by the University of California at San Francisco
confirmed that pregnant women carry multiple chemicals in their
bodies that can be passed onto their foetus. Data collected by the
U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2003-2004
showed that 43 banned as well as currently used chemicals in the
US, including PCB, which is banned in the US for over 30 years, organochlorine
pesticides, PFCs, phenols, PBDE flame retardants,
phthalates, BPA, were detected in 99-100 per cent of over 250
pregnant women. 71 Many of the 163 chemicals studied are known
to be transferred to the foetus and have been linked to poor
health outcomes. It places the foetus at risk for birth defects or
chronic illnesses later in life. Furthermore, because the women in
the study were tested for exposure to only a fraction of chemicals
on the market, it also suggests that pregnant women are likely
carrying and passing onto their foetus many more chemicals than
have been reported in the study. 72
Even though there is enough convincing evidence that many
chemicals can harm the foetus, not many governments and companies
take precautionary measures or even inform pregnant women
about simple measures to avoid hazardous chemicals in their lives.
The following measure are to be taken to protect pregnant women
and the developing child: awareness raising campaigns, information
materials for pregnant women, and labeling of products.
Breast milk contamination
Harmful chemicals can be transmitted to the baby not only
during pregnancy, but also via breastfeeding after birth. Contamination
can occur due to exposure to e.g. pesticides or toxic
chemicals in food and indoor air as many human biomonitoring
programmes and projects have found out by testing breast
milk on various substances.
As POPs are the most hazardous ingredients of polluted
breast milk, breast milk has been tested by WHO for POPs within
the process of the Stockholm Convention for several years. The
last testing round spanned the period from 2010 to 2012. 73 The
results from the third, fourth and fifth rounds of the survey spanning
the period from 2000 to 2012, are presented in a report
based on the findings by Malisch et al. 74
Following the results the survey shows a mixed picture: POPs
like PCDD and PCFD have fallen steadily from their earlier high level
indicating the effectiveness of intervention measures. PCB decreased
over time, but is still considered a human health concern.
Chemicals newly listed in the Stockholm Convention in 2009 and
2011 like PFOS could be detected at values above LOQ for a majority
of samples in more or less all participating countries. This shows
that contamination and human exposure to PFOS in these regions
is very concerning. 75 Unfortunately many countries do not take
part in the monitoring on a regular base of the WHO/UNEP human
milk survey, even if they have the means like e. g. Germany.
Also other harmful chemicals can be found in breast milk.
Knowing to have toxins in your breast milk is usually very scary
for mothers. Therefore public communication about this topic
should be done in a very sensitive way. However, breastfeeding
should be maintained because it brings many health benefits for
the children and the mothers. IPEN and the World Alliance for
Breastfeeding Action (WABA) state together that “The contamination
of breast milk is one symptom of the environmental contamination
in our communities. Responsibility for this problem
belongs to the industrial sources of contamination, not to breastfeeding
women.” 77
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