Topic

Chemical exposures during pregnancy - what to advise?

Frances Mortimer
Frances Mortimer • 6 June 2013

Has anyone else had a chance to read the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' scientific impact paper on chemical exposures during pregnancy - http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/5.6.13ChemicalExposures.pdf ?

Clearly a really difficult area to study, given the number of different chemicals present at low levels in so many different household products, with no control group of unexposed women to compare outcomes. Even more complicated if it is true that mixtures of chemicals could be having different or amplified effects.

One of the arguments given is that, if women are concerned about chemicals exposure, then advising no action could actually increase their anxiety; at least this paper sets out how they could reduce exposures if they wish to.

What do others think?

Frances (Med Director, CSH)

Comments (1)

Christelle Blunden
Christelle Blunden

That's really interesting- I think all the actions points are likely to result in better health all round and are all better for the environment. I don't think any of the action points are unecessarily alarmist either so I'm all for it and I hope it will spark wider awareness of what people expose themselves to unwittingly on a daily basis!


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