Some scientists are estimating that the chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will soon result in 50 percent of all babies born worldwide having at least one birth defect. POPs include a variety of pesticides, industrial-use chemicals and compounds released from the burning of fossil fuels.
A new study is the first to directly link placental levels of multiple POPs to neural tube defects.
According to Prevent Disease:
“POPs released to the environment have been shown to travel vast distances from their original source. Due to their chemical properties, many POPs are semi-volatile and insoluble. These compounds are therefore unable to transport directly through the environment. The indirect routes include attachment to particulate matter, and through the food web. The chemicals' semi-volatility allows them to travel long distances through the atmosphere before being deposited. Thus POPs can be found all over the world, including in areas where they have never been used and remote regions such as the middle of oceans and Antarctica.”