PH161-02+James+Dillon+100812+Prenatal+and+Postnatal+Exposures+to+Household-FINAL - Copy.doc

Prenatal and Postnatal Exposures to Household Chemicals

Professor Kwon

California State University of Fresno

Department of Public Health

By: James Dillon

October 10, 2012

List of Abbreviations

Polybrominated diphenyl – PBDE

Polyethylene Glycol - PEG

Food and Drug Administration – FDA

Environmental Tobacco Smoke – ETS

micrograms per cubic meter of air - ug/m3

Abstract

            The research provided will reveal the main chemicals in the household environment associated with prenatal and postnatal birth defects.  New chemicals are being released constantly as well as new government legislation to ban certain harmful chemicals.  The household environment can be the main environment for toxic exposure so it is especially important that people are aware of the risk to their children. 

            There are many risks associated with having certain chemicals in the household environment.  The main chemicals to be aware of are mercury, lead, arsenic, polybrominated diphenyl (PBDEs), cigarette smoke, phthalates, ethoxylates, polyethylene glycol (PEGs), parabene, and dioxins.  Certain birth defects associated with these chemicals are childhood cancer, autism, and other child disabilities.  There are many important environmental statistics, sources of the various chemicals, as well as things you can do to prevent your present or future child from developing a birth defect associated with these chemicals. 

            It is important for people to become educated on the effects of harmful household chemicals to their children because if there is a dangerous chemical in the house, exposure to that chemical can be very prolonged and have no apparent symptoms.  People should be involved with legislation and help the government ban harmful chemicals from the environment.  It is also important for people to realize that there are extreme consequences in not selecting safe household chemicals to use around the house because after all, the prenatal and postnatal development stages are the most important stages in a persons life.

Introduction

               Everything that we breathe, eat, and absorb through our skin is considered a poison at a high enough dose.  Anything from the oxygen we breathe, water we drink, and the sugar we eat can all be considered a poison.  The only thing that differentiates a healthy drug and a poison is the amount of dose you intake.  Chemicals are the substances made through chemistry by human interaction.  Chemicals are poisons that have not yet been introduced to organic species on this planet.  Innovation is growing so rapidly that we cannot properly assess the magnitude of effect for each chemical created.  This then results in a wide distribution of chemicals without proper assessments which then can lead to very damaging environmental problems.  Chemicals pose many threats to humans because they can show no apparent signs of poisonous nature at first, but then eventually signs of damage associated with the chemical may arise.  Many of these signs that arise are too faint to measure and people are not fully capable of assessing a situation until the most apparent and damaging symptoms reveal themselves.  Some chemicals are more damaging in low-dose exposures than in high-dose exposures because high-dose exposures cause more sudden and apparent symptoms which lead to changes in that person and the environment.  With low-dose exposures, symptoms are usually not apparent and can cause prolonged exposures which can have the same damaging effect if not greater effect than high-dose exposures.  I believe chemists and scientists need to be careful and take extra precautionary steps before releasing a chemical to the public environment that has not been properly measured.  I feel it is inhumane as well as lazy to release chemicals into the environment and expect the environment to be the experiment.  Experiments should be safe and secluded from the environment. 

Methods

                Mercury is a particle that affects humans and the environment through exposure through ingestion, inhalation, and transdermal absorption (Bose et al. 2010). Exposure to mercury can come from numerous sources throughout the household.  One way of exposure can come from broken thermometers and fluorescent light bulbs.  Fluorescent light bulbs and thermometers if broken can emit mercury gas into the atmosphere of the home (Bose et al. 2010).  The concentration of mercury in the air around the broken bulb can contain 200 – 800 ug/m3 or micrograms per cubic meter of air (Bose et al. 2010).  About 30% of the mercury contained within the fluorescent light bulb is released into the air immediately after breaking (Bose et al. 2010).  Many cosmetics used by humans contain substantial amounts of mercury that can be absorbed through the skin (Bose et al. 2010).  Cosmetics such as certain skin lightening creams, soaps, and hair treatments all contain amounts of mercury and are still used in many different developing countries (Bose et al. 2010).  Numerous religious and therapeutic practices like Santeria and Ayurvedic medicine still commonly use mercury (Bose et al. 2010).  The air in the household can be contaminated with mercury from the pollution from local volcanoes, power plants, or local mining operations, which emits mercury into the atmosphere (Bose et al. 2010).

Too much prenatal exposure to methylmercury or organic mercury can cause a negative affect to the fetus (Bose et al. 2010).  This is because the placenta is not an effective barrier against mercury, which can have an especially negative affect on the fetus’s nervous system (Bose et al. 2010).  The effects of the mercury dose can either be proximate and direct or delayed and distal (Bose et al. 2010).  A baby can be born with neurological effects such as hearing loss, seizures, cerebral palsy, vision loss, motor function problems, speech impediments, and impaired memory (Bose et al. 2010).  Mothers can spread methylmercury or inorganic mercury through breast milk to their children (Bose et al. 2010).  It is also very important for a mother to stay away from large fish like shark, tuna, and swordfish because they contain the highest amounts of methylmercury.

                   Lead poisoning in children can be very devastating to their brains by inhibiting their neuropsychological and cognitive behaviors.  In 1998, 25% of children aged 1-6 years were exposed to high levels of lead in and around the household (Skolnik 2006).  Awareness for lead poisoning has lead to changes in the way resources are made in our economy.  They are now making lead free gasoline and paint.  Though paints are now being made lead free, many houses around the world are contaminated with lead based paints in and around the home (Walker 2005).  The lead based paints flake off and turn into dust in which a child or mother may inhale (Walker 2005).  Much of the soil in playgrounds or household yards contains high amounts of lead usually around high traffic roads in which lead based gasoline was emitted.   Prenatal exposures to lead can inhibit the growth of the fetus (Walker 2005).   Postnatal exposures to lead can lead to more damaging affect because of the added exposure of the infant to contaminated areas compared to adults.  Infants have a tendency to play in the soil, on contaminated areas, and be in an area for prolonged periods of time while breathing in the air in that area  (Walker 2005).  Parents also play a role in lead poisoning during the postnatal stage when breastfeeding because lead has been shown to pass through the breast milk (Walker 2005). 

                Arsenic like lead or mercury is another metal associated with birth defects (Wu 2011).  Arsenic exposure can come from soil, water, air, and rock (Wu 2011).  Direct exposure to arsenic has been mainly associated with drinking water (Wu 2011).   Arsenic exposure can also come from exposure to contaminated soil and rocks in the yard, or by breathing in contaminated air in the home (Wu 2011).  Scientists found that low levels of arsenic exposure had the same if not more association with birth defects than high levels of arsenic (Wu 2011).  This is because high levels of arsenic exposure lead to more direct health outcomes and are treated while low levels have indirect symptoms and usually yield long prenatal and postnatal exposures leading to birth defects (Wu 2011).

               Prenatal and postnatal exposure to pesticides can have a damaging affect to the growing fetus (Walker 2005).  Many urban areas around the country and the world have a high abundance of pests associated with close living proximities of residence with the increase of trash, sewage, and unsanitary conditions (Walker 2005).  This then leads to pesticides used to handle these certain pests like insects and mice (Walker 2005).  A study was conducted on women located in urban areas of New York to find out how many were exposed to pesticides (Walker 2005). Eighty-five percent of women said that pest control was used in their homes during pregnancy (Walker 2005). All the women in this study were tested positive for pesticides in their bodies (Walker 2005).  These pesticides are known to disrupt the neurological development of the fetus (Walker 2005). In addition to a lack of neurological development, a link has been observed between the use of pesticides in the home or garden and the incidence of childhood leukemia and brain cancer (Walker 2005).

            Infant exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) can pose a health risk (Walker 2005).  Over the last 20 years, PBDEs have been used as flame retardants and been included in various household products, furniture, and carpets (Walker 2005). PBDEs damage the infant’s thyroid by disrupting the hormones it releases into the body (Walker 2005).  This thyroid disruption then leads to decreases in growth, as well as a decrease in mental and hearing sharpness (Walker 2005).  PBDEs as well as another 116 reported environmental substances have been shown to inhibit thyroid hormone production (Walker 2005).

             When a baby is exposed to cigarette smoke, it is being exposed to more than 4,000 different chemicals (Ferris et al. 2010).  Second hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) can be a major contributor to major health diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory ailments as well as sinus infections (Llaquet et al. 2010).  Prenatal cigarette exposure to the fetus can create an increase risk for a miscarriage, growth retardation, early birth, sudden infant death syndrome, and neurological deficits (Llaquet et al. 2010).   Many families that move into a new home become victims of ETS based on past resident cigarette use.  The tars from the cigarette may stay in the carpet, surfaces, and furniture where a child may play.  When the child puts his/her hands in their mouth, those different chemicals are ingested.  When an infant is breastfed by an exposed mother, the nicotine as well as other chemicals in the smoke and tar has been shown to diffuse through the mammary glands (Llaquet et al. 2010).    Mothers who smoke while nursing are recommended to delay smoking a few hours before breastfeeding because of the low half-life of the chemicals (Llaquet et al. 2010).   Infant’s symptoms of nicotine absorption from breast milk include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, restlessness, and physical and cognitive deficits (Llaquet et al. 2010). 

              Phthalates are a type of chemical used in plastic kid’s toys, food wraps, and building products (Walker 2005).  Phthalates do not stay connected to the plastic (Walker 2005).  Over time they can separate and contaminate the air causing inhalation exposure as well as ingested and absorbed through the skin (Walker 2005).  They are especially harmful to children and can cause liver damage and liver cancer (Walker 2005).  Prenatal exposure is very prevalent with mothers who use certain home care products that contain phthalates (Walker 2005). Infants are exposed to Phthalates not only by breathing, but also by playing and sucking on plastic toys contaminated with Phthalates (Walker 2005).

              Ethoxylates and polyethylene glycol (PEGs) are associated with birth defects (Goldbas 2012).  The FDA does not measure their toxicity because they are considered cosmetics (Goldbas 2012).   They are found in various soaps, shampoos, and anything that creates foam for oil treatment (Goldbas 2012).

Parabene is a chemical associated with deodorants, shampoos, sunscreens, and ointments (Goldbas 2012).  Like PEGs, parabene is a chemical not measured by the FDA for toxicity because of its cosmetic classification (Goldbas 2012).  Parabene is also linked to reproductive problems and birth defects (Goldbas 2012).

Dioxins are directly linked to reproductive problems, cancer, birth defects, and a hormone disruption based on The World Health Organization (Goldbas 2012).   Dioxins are considered the biggest cause of cancer known to the medical field (Goldbas 2012).   Dioxins are commonly found in laundry detergents, soaps, and window cleaners (Goldbas 2012).  A baby may be exposed through contact with a treated blanket or clothing.  Exposure to a developing fetus through its mother who uses these chemicals may also occur. 

Results

              Children are especially vulnerable to mercury poisoning because of their young developing bodies.  A young child that is 0 – 36 months of age has a lower body weight, which requires a low amount of mercury accumulation in the body to cause mercury poisoning (Bose et al. 2010).  Children have a tendency to expose themselves to mercury by placing objects in their mouths, playing in the soil, etc (Bose et al. 2010).  Not to mention the added concern placed on young children because of their under developed immune systems and nervous systems which can lead to an increase risk for permanent cognitive problems (Bose et al. 2010).  About 70% to 85% of the mercury vapor you inhale is absorbed into the lungs and put into the bloodstream (Bose et al. 2010).  A New Zealand study found that prenatal exposure to mercury caused a decrease in a child’s IQ points, memory, language, and attention span (Bose et al. 2010).

             It has been shown that childhood cancer has increased dramatically in the last twenty years.  The incidence of brain cancer in children increased by 39.6% from 1973 to 1944 (Walker 2005).   This data is proof that children are at higher rates of brain cancer because of the production and allocation of chemicals to infants through prenatal and postnatal exposure.  When a child develops brain cancer at an early age, it is apparent that the child had some sort of exposure to a carcinogen from the outside environment.  This also shows that prenatal and postnatal exposure to environmental carcinogens has a greater affect on a baby than on an adult.

             From 1997 to 2008, the prevalence rate of children with disabilities rose 17 percent (Hepp 2011).  This increasing number of child development problems is mainly associated with environmental changes being associated with pregnant woman.  The placenta is known to not stop many chemicals from entering the fetus (Hepp 2011).    When a child is born, the many crucial development months in its lifespan are the most pivotal points in that child’s life.  In an infant’s brain, the blood barrier is known to not stop many chemicals from entering the brain as effectively as an adult’s brain (Hepp 2011).  This then leads to a higher risk for development problems. 

              One of the most dangerous routes of exposure for babies is through the mother’s breast milk.  It has been shown that breast milk contains certain hazardous household chemicals like lead, mercury, and PBDEs (Walker 2005).  There has not been any substantial data on the direct consequences of intoxicated breast milk (Walker 2005).  Though the benefits greatly outweigh the risk of breastfeeding, it is still essential to be aware of the potential hazard breastfeeding may pose to a child’s development (Walker 2005).

               Autism is now considered by health officials to be a major epidemic in this country (Goldbas 2012).  Children with autism have reduced social interaction skills that pertain to reading other persons emotions, reduced communication skills, and deeply impaired multi-tasking skills that lead the individual to focus attention on one task or object (Goldbas 2012).   One in 1,000 children will be born with autism and 50% will be considered mentally incapable (Goldbas 2012).   From the year 1991 to 2001, autism rose by 1,700 percent (Goldbas 2012).   This increased rate of autistic children within only a decade shows the magnitude of the problem.  Scientists do not know what directly causes autism in children but they can pinpoint the relationship between the increases in environmental chemicals with the increase in autism (Goldbas 2012).  It is estimated that around 37.5% of autism is based on genetic factors with the remaining 62.5% being from environmental factors (Goldbas 2012).

Conclusion

              The statistics and observations are clear; many household chemicals bring about birth defects in prenatal and postnatal development.  It is also clear that the number of children born with birth defects is rising at the same rate, as new chemicals are being innovated and released to the public.  The direct link between the added man-made chemicals to our environment and the birth defects associated make the correlation clear.  The good news is that there is things people can do to prevent their newborn child from being born with a birth defect.  People can limit the amount of chemicals they use and only use chemicals they know are safe in their home.  With the added innovation of chemicals also comes the added education about these chemicals.  People should research the various chemicals they bring into their home to find out what their associations with birth defects are.  When buying a home, people should research the past history of that home to see what the chemical habits were like of the residents that resided there previously.  The age of the house can also be a big factor in knowing what kinds of chemicals may have been used in building the home.  Also, test the soil for any contaminants as well as take the environment around the home into consideration.  Realize the risks associated with living in the certain area and environment.  The last thing people can do is get politically active and let their voices be heard in legislation.  The main reason so many chemicals are out in the market is because most chemists only innovate new chemicals for financial reasons.  If there were no government intervention, companies would be releasing chemicals into the environment only for financial gains and not for the well being of the environment.  Harmful chemicals would run rampant with no regulations on human health. 

Word count: 2,943

Reference:

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