New research may serve as a cautionary tale to expecting mothers, as the findings suggest chemicals frequently found in many homes these days may lead to developmental delays in children.
As reported by Medscape Medical News, the consumer warning concerns phthalates, which are synthetic chemicals found not only in cosmetic and personal care products, but also shower curtains, plastic toys, washing detergents and adhesives.
The study – spearheaded by a collaborative team of researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City and Karlstad University in Sweden – concluded that the more pregnant women were around phthalates, the greater the likelihood their children would be born with certain developmental problems, such as difficulties with speech. Specifically, the risk for language delay was 30 percent greater in children whose mothers were in proximity to dibutyl phthalate and butyl benzyl phthalate in large doses compared to those who weren't or in lesser amounts.
Shanna Swan, one of the study's lead investigators and professor of environmental and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine, warned that the results are concerning.
"The bottom line here is that the phthalates that a mother is exposed to in early pregnancy can affect the development of the brain in her children, particularly in this area of language development," Swan told Medscape Medical News. "
She went on to state that phthalates have long been known to be potentially harmful, but what's new to the study is how several different types of phthalates – like di-ethylhexyl phthalate, which is included in several packaged foods – can lead to developmental abnormalities.
"Now we have more phthalates to worry about," Swan added.
Baby products don't contain phthalates
According to the National Library of Medicine, health officials recognized the adverse health effects of certain phthalates several years ago, which is why they're no longer used in the manufacturing of plastics and vinyls quite as often as they used to be. Not since 1999 have baby products included phthalates, banned from usage in the U.S. ever since.
They haven't been prohibited entirely, however, which is why they continue to be used. Swan told Medscape Medical News that the problem is, since so many products contain phthalates, it's extremely difficult to avoid them entirely. Susan Schantz, professor of toxicology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois in Urbana, echoed those sentiments, indicating that something needs to be done to make the chemical compounds less ubiquitous.
"I think studies like this are important because we need to start phasing phthalates out of products and find better, less toxic solutions," Schantz said. "I don't know what the answer is, but I know we'd be doing pregnant women and their children a service if we could keep some of these chemicals out of their bodies."
