Industrial chemicals were found in the organs of fetuses conceived decades after many of those same chemicals had been banned, according to a recent study in Sweden.
Scientists examined samples of fetal fat tissue, liver, heart, lung and brain from 20 pregnancies that ended in stillbirths and found at least 15 of the 22 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) — in every organ. According to researchers, the most prevalent POPs — toxic chemicals that remain even after banned and are absorbed by humans through the air, drinking water and food — included:
- HCB, a pesticide that was used to protect food crops from fungi
- DDE, a metabolite of DDT, an insect killer used in the mid-1900s
- Variants of PCBs, chemicals formerly used in electrical products
The combined impact of the mix of chemicals that accumulate in people and nature cannot be ignored, researchers said. Several previous studies regarding early life exposure to POPs were linked to low birth weight, ADHD, infertility, gestational diabetes, reduced sperm production and obesity.
SOURCE: Science Daily June 16, 2021