"Cleaning chemicals 'reach baby'", BBC News, September 7, 2005,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4223984.stm

Chemicals found in perfumes and cleaning products can cross the
placenta and reach the baby in the womb, research shows.

Tests of umbilical cord blood shows many chemicals, ranging from those
used to make plastics and artificial musks, are present.

WWF-UK and Greenpeace who produced the report want to see regulations
to ban such substances in every day products.

But health experts said pregnant women should not be alarmed by the
findings.

Crossing the placenta

They said there was no clear evidence that the chemicals were causing
damage to unborn children.

For the report, tests were carried out on blood samples from the
umbilical cords of 27 newborn babies and 42 new mothers.

The samples were tested for eight groups of chemicals, including those
found in cleaning products and non-stick and waterproof coatings.

All of the samples tested positive for at least some of the 35
chemicals tested.

Some of the umbilical cord blood samples contained as many as 14, and
two of the mothers tested positive for 17 of the chemicals.

The researchers said they were concerned by their findings.

Helen Perivier, Toxics Campaigner for Greenpeace International said:
"It is shocking that such chemicals are in the human body at any stage
of our life, let alone at the very start, when the child is most
vulnerable."

Andrew Lee of WWF-UK said: "These chemicals should not be in products,
let alone in developing babies."

Safety laws

The European Union is currently revising its chemicals policy.

Mr Lee said it was vital for the health of future generations that this
legislation was effective and called for a wider ban on potentially
toxic chemicals.

WWF said "safer alternatives" existed and should be substituted.

Professor Andrew Shennan, consultant obstetrician and a spokesman for
Tommy's - the baby charity - said: "It's not that surprising that we
find in the blood things that are in the environment.

"Mother and baby communicate directly, although the placenta does
filter out some toxic substances.

"Without knowing that the substances are in some way harmful, it is
difficult to gauge the potential seriousness of this finding."

He said the baby was able to deal with toxic substances in a similar
way to adults.

However if they were exposed to something very harmful before birth and
onwards, that might be damaging.

But he added: "It's not something to be alarmed about. These substances
have probably been around for years and years.

"We are designed to live in hostile environments."