Exposure to Plastic Chemicals During Pregnancy Can Increase Child's Asthma Risk

The use of plastic and its products has received a lot of flak from health experts. A lot of research and scientific studies have shown that plastics can leach chemicals when they are heated, damaged or used regularly for a very long time. Certain chemicals used to make plastic products like such as bisphenol A (BPA) have also been regarded as carcinogen for humans.A new study suggests that exposure to the toxic chemicals in plastic during pregnancy can impact your child's health. According to the study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, exposure to certain chemicals found in plastic products during pregnancy or even while breast feeding can put the child at the risk of developing allergic asthma. This risk of asthma has been particularly attributed to a class of chemicals called phthalates that are often used to soften plastic and make it more flexible so that it can be used in different forms. Previous studies have established that thee chemicals can easily enter our bodies through the skin, foodstuffs or the air. They are known to have a damaging effect on the hormone system and can even impact our metabolism and fertility. Not only plastic goods, but phthalates are used in everything from household cleaners to food packaging, cosmetics and personal-care products.(Also read: Home Remedies to Control Asthma Naturally)
According to Tobias Polte, environmental immunologist at Helmholtz University in Germany, this new study shows that phthalates can also interfere with the immune system and significantly increase the risk of developing allergies. For the study, they examined the urine of pregnant women and the influence on the newborn-allergy-risk. Experiments were also conducted on a mouse model to confirm the results during which mice were exposed to a certain phthalate concentration during pregnancy and the lactation period, which led to comparable concentrations of the BBP metabolite in urine to those observed in heavily exposed mothers. As a result, the offspring demonstrated a clear tendency to develop allergic asthma and even the third generation continued to be affected.  The results of the urine test showed that there was a strong link between high concentrations of the metabolite of benzylbutylphthalate (BBP) in the mother’s urine and the presence of allergic asthma in their children. The team of researchers further noted that if the foetus was exposed to phthalates during the early stages of development, the effects of the risk of illness was carried forward to the two subsequent generations. In the past few years, researchers have found several health risks associated with the long-term exposure of phthalates like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, breast cancer, neuro-developmental issues and reproductive risks. A major problem that consumer face is that these chemicals are used in almost of your household and personal care products and they are not mentioned on the label which makes it difficult to avoid them.