ECO baby + kids

A study recently published in environmental perspectives estimates that newborns have 11 times the amount of BPA in their blood due to an inactivity of enzymes that are known to  help dismantle BPA.  Even more importantly, this is another piece of evidence that newborns and adults metabolize substances differently which calls for chemical exposure standards to take into account the vulnerability of developing systems. When this is taken into account with bisphenol-A (BPA) and the numerous studies linking it to adverse health effects even in low doses that date back to the 1930’s should we really take a chance? Of course, my answer is no. Over the past few months studies have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences linking low level chronic exposure of BPA to alteration of cognitive function and depression and in The Journal of the American Medical Association linking BPA to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These on top of the well documented effects BPA has on our endocrine system is enough to inspire me to eliminate this chemical from my life especially since I am in my child bearing years. It was not that long ago that scientists believed the placenta to protect developing fetuses from environmental contaminants, I can even remember being taught by a science teacher that the baby was protected in the womb from toxic substances. However, hard evidence presented through biomonitoring, such as Environmental Working Group’s study on Pollution in Newborns, tells us other wise as newborn umbilical cords have tested positive for over 200 chemicals. Even after pregnancy mothers should not only protect their child from contact with hazardous substances but avoid toxins themselves as chemicals also show up in breast milk. DISCLAIMER: Breast milk is still the best way to nourish your baby. Limiting your exposure to chemicals that you would not want going into your babies mouth is just good practice while breast feeding.