Link To Study Details
(3/23/99)
Canadian researchers say women exposed to common industrial and household
solvents during the first three months of pregnancy may be at risk of damaging
their unborn babies.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates has the latest on this major study.
The study published today in the Journal of the American Medical
Association issues some warnings to mothers.
And it doesn't come as a surprise to occupational toxicologists here in
Utah.
You'll find these solvents in almost any business from a printing office
to a mechanic's garage - from a mortuary to a carpenter's workshop - even in
the home and your backyard spa.
While the products take on many brand names, they all contain one or
several of the following solvents:
- Aliphatic hydrocarbons
- Aromatic hydrocarbons
- Phenol
- Trichlorethylene
- Xylene
- Vinyl Chloride
- Acetone
The University of Toronto found 13 major malformations in fetuses whose
mothers had unprotected exposures to these compounds.
Researchers say they included deafness, clubfoot, spina bifida and
heart abnormalities.
In fact, they say the risk to exposed mothers was three to four times
greater than in women who had no exposure.
Dr. Dean Lillquist, a toxicologist at the Rocky Mountain Center for
Occupational & Environmental Health, says, "Exposure being a combination of
both how much we breathe in and how much we absorb through the skin. Many of
these industrial solvents are used in an application where there's pretty
significant dermal or potential for dermal exposure."
While Lillquist would like to know more about how much exposure these
women had to the compounds, he says there's no question about risk.
"If you're a female of reproductive age. If you're tyring to get pregnant or
you are pregnant, you should take every precaution available to you to protect
yourself from exposure to these chemicals," he says.
And that includes expressing concerns to an employer about precautions or
moving to a different location during those critical months of pregnancy.
Canadian researchers admit the effects of organic compounds on unborn
babies is still controversial - and as of yet, nobody knows for sure how much
exposure is too much!
