Pregnant? Steer Clear of Environmental Chemicals

A few years ago, lead in drinking water was big news in Flint, Michigan. In fact, a state of emergency was called. That should give you a clue just how dangerous lead and other environmental chemicals (also called Persistent Organic Chemicals or POPS) are.

During pregnancy, it’s especially important to avoid these chemicals because they can derail proper fetal development, causing long term problems with brain and motor functions in children. You can store chemicals in your body where they could eventually reach your unborn baby or newborn when breastfeeding. This makes it important to watch out for these during all your childbearing years. Here is a quick overview of top ways to avoid POPS from Eating Expectantly.

More recently the American Academy of Pediatrics cautioned parents about food additives and chemicals that can get into food from food packaging, etc, including some of the chemicals listed below. When the AAP releases a statement with a warning like this, it’s best to pay attention!

What about lead and arsenic in baby food?

Take the latest news from The Clean Label Project with a grain of salt says Snopes. Their study found arsenic and lead in a large proportion of baby food, but did not publish their data and it was not peer-reviewed. Remember, the dose makes the poison and some minerals are naturally found in soil. I’ve also written about lead and arsenic found in certain foods using data from Consumer Union, thought to be a more reliable source.

Twenty-Two Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Persistent Organic Chemicals, Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and Heavy Metals:

1. Eat a variety of foods.
   
2. Choose lean meats, removing the fat and skin from all animal products. Choose skim and low-fat dairy products or choose organic for higher fat levels. (Higher fat dairy is recommended while trying to conceive.)
3. Choose smaller seafood species fish (trout, tilapia, shrimp) instead of large predatory fish (tuna, shark, swordfish, which contain more mercury).

4. Eat up to 12 oz. (375 g) of fish per week of those considered safe choices. Find a list of best choices and other info at Purdue University’s Fish4Health.net. Find more advice about eating seafood here.

5. Avoid eating oysters, clams and mussels unless you know that they came from a safe area.
6. If you live near an industrial area (or where one used to be), have your soil tested before you plant a vegetable garden.
7. Avoid storing food in crystal and use caution when using handcrafted pottery from other countries, especially those painted with bright colors.
8. Take a close look at your hobbies—they might expose you to paint, adhesives, and metals that contain POPs.
9. If you or someone in your family is a sports or recreational fisherman, pay close attention to consumption guidelines posted at fishing sites and at find local fish advisories here.
10. If you drink water from a well, have the water tested for nitrates, heavy metals and bacteria when you confirm your pregnancy.

11. Make sure you have a good source of iron, calcium, vitamin D, copper and zinc in your diet to decrease absorption of heavy metals.

12. Be very careful about the type of plastic that comes into contact with your food—avoid the #3-Phthalates, #6 Styrene and #7 recycling codes, unless labeled “biobased” or “greenware”.
13. If you are unsure about your water supply, add a filter to your tap.
14. Wash produce for at least 30 seconds under running water to remove dirt, bacteria and pesticide residues. Choose organic food if possible, for those highest in pesticide residues–see EWG’s Dirty Dozen. (This year, those superfoods spinach and kale are in the top 5.) Eat more from the Clean Fifteen. (Yay-avocados are the number 1 cleanest!!)
15. Avoid exposure to pesticides and herbicides around the house. More on that here. A pest-specific list of alternatives here.

16. Use glass or stainless steel for containers you use to store, cook in and eat or drink from. Avoid plastic packaging when possible, especially for high fat foods like cooking oil. If you do use plastics in the kitchen, avoid washing them in the dishwasher, says the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

17. Limit canned foods or choose brands that are labeled BPA-free or are in alternative packaging.
18. Limit rice products to once or twice a week and avoid rice milk. More on from the FDA and Consumer Reports.
19. Avoid hijiki, a type of seaweed. Hijiki sometimes contains high levels of inorganic arsenic, which is the toxic form of arsenic.
20. Avoid or limit exposure to chemicals in the workplace (by both mom and dad). More on that from OSHA.
21. Carefully read the labels of products that come into contact with skin, hair and lungs avoiding those that contain fragrance, phthalates and other questionable substances. More info at Skin Deep Database. Read my post Three Ways to Clean up Your Beauty Routine.
22. Limit exposure to pesticides. Sometimes you can’t avoid it, but there are also many chemical-free ways to control pests. Find more information about
    

    Pest Control for Expectant Moms here.

For More Information

American Academy of Pediatrics statement about Food Additives

The Endocrine Society’s Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Environmental Working Group Dirty Dozen

Seafood Sources of DHA

Pesticides: A Risk Factor for ADHD?