Tests Find More Than 200 Chemicals in Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood

Study commissioned by environmental group finds high levels of chemicals in U.S. minority infants

By Sara Goodman

TOXIC INHERITANCE: Babies are born with a slew of potentially dangerous chemicals.
ISTOCKPHOTO/RAPIDEYE

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U.S. minority infants are born carrying hundreds of chemicals in their bodies, according to a report released today by an environmental group.

The Environmental Working Group's study commissioned five laboratories to examine the umbilical cord blood of 10 babies of African-American, Hispanic and Asian heritage and found more than 200 chemicals in each newborn.

"We know the developing fetus is one of the most vulnerable populations, if not the most vulnerable, to environmental exposure," said Anila Jacobs, EWG senior scientist. "Their organ systems aren't mature and their detox methods are not in place, so cord blood gives us a good picture of exposure during this most vulnerable time of life."

Of particular concern to Jacobs: 21 newly detected contaminants, including the controversial plastics additive bisphenol A, or BPA, which mimics estrogen and has been shown to cause developmental problems and precancerous growth in animals. Last month, researchers reported that male Chinese factory workers exposed to high levels of the chemical experienced erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems.

"BPA is a really important finding because people are really aware about its potential toxicity," Jacobs told reporters. "This is the first study to find BPA in umbilical cord blood, and it correlates with national data on it."

Jacobs said the study focused on minority children to show that chemical exposure is ubiquitous, building on 2005 research on cord blood from 10 anonymous babies. That study found a similar body burden among the babies. This is the first study to look at chemicals in minority newborns.

"Minority groups may have increased exposure to certain chemicals, but here we didn't focus on those chemicals," Jacobs said. "The sample size is too small to see major differences, but we want to increase awareness about chemical exposures."

Leo Trasande, co-director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said the findings, while preliminary, show that minority communities are often disproportionately affected by chemical exposure. Trasande was not involved in the EWG study.

"Presently, minority communities suffer from a host of chronic disorders, and disproportionate chemical exposures may contribute significantly to the origins of the disparities that exist," Trasande said.

Both he and Jacobs said the findings add momentum for the call to revamp the Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA, the law regulating the more than 80,000 chemicals on its database. They released the report on the same day that a Senate panel is scheduled to discuss the government's strategy for managing the tens of thousands of chemicals in the marketplace with an eye toward overhauling TSCA.

TSCA does not require most chemicals to be tested for safety before they are approved for widespread use. Because of this, Trasande said, less than half of the 3,000 high-production volume chemicals on the marketplace have toxicity data, and less than one-fifth have toxicity testing data on the effects on developing organs.

Caffeine hurts your unborn baby, ADD

Coffee & Caffeine During Pregnancy

Links to Learning Disabilities, ADD and Behavior Disorders

INTRODUCTION

A very large review of the coffee/caffeine research was presented by French researcher, Dr. Astrid Nehlig, in the 1994 journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology. His review summarized over 200 medical journal articles on the coffee/caffeine subject. Below are what we consider to be the most significant quotes from Dr. Nehlig’s article:

"The teratogenic effect of caffeine has been clearly demonstrated in rodents. However, rodents are much more sensitive than primates to the teratogenic effects of many substances. Moreover, the quantity of caffeine needed to induce malformations in rodents reaches doses that are toxic in man. Thus a woman weighing 60 kg would have to consume 50-70 cups of coffee per day (or at least 20 cups if interspecific metabolic variations are taken into account) to absorb the equivalent of 80-100 mg/kg/day of caffeine, which is the dose usually required for development of malformations rats."

"World coffee consumption is increasing. Analyzing the data from surveys carried out in the United States, Japan, and West Germany for the period of 1980-1991, it appears that the number of coffee drinkers has decreased by 2-5% in three countries, while coffee consumption, in terms of number of cups/consumer/day has increased in each country."

"A mean size cup (150 ml) of caffeinated coffee contains in general about 90 mg of caffeine and 63 mg of caffeine for soluble instant coffee. The same volume of decaffeinated coffee contains 3 mg of caffeine, whereas the content of caffeine reaches 32-42 mg in 150 ml of tea and 16 mg in 150 ml of cola drinks."

"The daily consumption of caffeine in the general population ranges from 202-283 mg of caffeine which represents 2.7-4.0 mg/kg/day in males and females 20-75 years old."

"The half life of caffeine ranges from .7 -1.2 hours in the rat and mouse, 3-5 hours in the monkey and 2.5-6 hours in humans."

"Caffeine half-life is increased in the neonatal period in both animals and humans due to the immaturity of hepatic (liver) enzyme systems, namely cytochrome P-450. Half lives of 40-130 hours are found in premature and newborn infants. They decrease rapidly to 14.4 and 2.6 hours in 3-5 month and 5-6 month infants, respectively. Longer half-lives of caffeine are found in breast-fed than in formula fed infants."

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a warning in 1980 advising pregnant women to restrict or even eliminate consumption of coffee given the teratogenic effect (the ability to cause birth defects) observed in rodents."

"Finally, in comparing results of drug administration in both humans and animals, a correction factor for the dose must be applied, also called metabolic body weight. Indeed, dose equivalents based on metabolic body weight are substantially lower than those based on body weight: 20 mg/kg in the rat is equivalent to about 17 cups of coffee (at 100 mg/cup) in a 70-kg man on a body weight basis, but only 4 - 6 cups when corrections are made for differences in metabolic body weight."

"In the monkey, spontaneous abortions and stillbirths have been recorded at the 2 doses used, 10-15 and 25-35 mg/kg/day of caffeine. (Equivalent to 2-3 cups and 5-8 cups of coffee, respectively). In humans, coffee and caffeine consumption from other sources have been associated with a higher incidence of spontaneous abortions (in 5 studies."

"The association between coffee and/or caffeine intake and prematurity seems then to be very weak, or absent. According to one study, 11% of the spontaneous abortions can be attributed to smoking, 5% to alcohol, and only 2% to coffee."

"The risk for any kind of congenital abnormalities is 3.7% in individuals who consume caffeine and 1.7% in those who do not. The difference is statistically significant."

"It has also been shown that absorption of caffeine has a vasoconstrictive effect on placental circulation. Blood flow is not modified in the umbilical fetal vein but intervillious placental blood flow is significantly diminished after absorption of 2 cups of coffee. This decrease in blood flow along with increased concentration of noradrenaline induced by caffeine in the maternal serum could represent a potential risk for the fetus."

"Caffeine diffuses through the placenta and accumulates in the brain of the fetus (3 studies) Caffeine concentration of the fetal rat is higher in the brain than in the placenta whereas the metabolites of methylxanthine are evenly distributed between brain and placenta."

"Exposure of female rats to caffeine during pregnancy (.04% in drinking water) causes proportionally greater loss in brain weight than in body weight (3 studies)."

"When pregnant rats ingest 10-20 mg/kg day caffeine, the cerebral concentrations of these various elements are lower in offspring at birth."

"Exposure to caffeine during gestation and lactation (.04% in drinking water) also induces modifications in cerebral concentrations of catecholamines, tyrosine, tryptophan, serotonin, 5-hydroxyindole acetic aid, and cyclic nucleotides in the brain of 1 - 35 day old rat (4 studies), which can cause behavioral abnormalities, such as hypoactivity, during development of the animal."

"...Thus, it seems that early caffeine exposure, even at quite low doses, is able to induce a wide variety of neurochemical changes. These deficits concern both constitutive material such as proteins, DNA and RNA, and functional material such as neurotransmitters and ions."

"Offspring of female rats exposed to 60 or 100 mg/kg caffeine in their drinking water throughout gestation have reduced learning capacities as adults in a novel environment. In an open field, these animals also spend less time grooming, playing, and touching new objects. The authors concluded that the behavioral effects induced by prenatal caffeine exposure could be related to the "hyperactive" children syndrome (Sinton, C. M. et. al., 1981)."




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Smaller Head Circumference –

Lower Birth Weight After 300 mg Caffeine Intake

Source: Neurobehavioral Toxicology and Teratology, Vol. 7:9-17, 1985

Although 300 mg of caffeine intake represents approximately 2 or 3 cups of coffee, many people don’t realize the amount of caffeine they can consume from other sources besides coffee. Most studies, such as the ones previously mentioned, look for toxic effects based on the number of cups of coffee consumed per day. However, if significant amounts of caffeine can be ingested from other sources besides coffee, this could hide the true dangers when comparing coffee drinkers with non-coffee drinkers.

In this 1983 Ottawa study at Carleton University, Canada, the researchers analyzed the total caffeine intake from all sources in 286 pregnant women. For the first trimester of their pregnancy, coffee accounted for only 56% of their total caffeine intake, tea accounted for 37% of caffeine intake, while caffeinated soft drinks, chocolate bars, chocolate drinks and caffeinated medications accounted for approximately 7% of caffeine intake. These levels maintained about the same throughout pregnancy.

Approximately 4% of the women during pregnancy consumed 100 - 300 mg of coffee daily while 4% of the group consumed over 300 mg of coffee daily.

The researchers stated,

"The most marked effect associated with heavy caffeine use (over 300 mg daily) in the present study were the reduced birth weight and the smaller head circumference that persisted after statistically controlling for other potentially contributing factors."

The mean head circumference of the infants born to the heavier caffeine users was 1.1 centimeters (cm) smaller when compared to those consuming under 300 mg of caffeine daily (33.5 cm compared with 34.6 cm, respectively). This difference was considered significant. A significant decrease of 379 grams in average birth weight was also observed in the heavier caffeine group. The average weight of infants born to the heavier caffeine users was less than women consuming little caffeine (3537 grams for the low caffeine users and 3158 for the heavy caffeine user- nearly a 400 gram difference).

In summary, the researchers stated,

"It is during the last trimester of pregnancy that the greatest spurt in fetal growth occurs. The present results suggest that daily caffeine intake of 300 mg or more can interfere with normal fetal growth... The observed, relatively small birth weight reductions may be of minor importance to a healthy full-term baby of acceptable weight but may be of major clinical significance for a preterm or small infant."

Drs. B. Watkinson and P. A. Fried
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Maternal Caffeine Use Before, During and After Pregnancy and Effects Upon Offspring
Neurobehavioral Toxicology and Teratology, Vol. 7:9-17, 1985




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Caffeine Exposure Increases Learning Problems and Hyperactivity
in Laboratory Mice

Abstract: Dams from two strains of mice, were treated during gestation with caffeine, at doses of about 60, 80, and 100 mg/kg/day, in their drinking water. The resulting offspring were behaviorally tested over a 6 month period commencing at age 9 months. When compared with controls, mice from dams that had received caffeine demonstrated longer latencies in passive avoidance test, and differences were also noted for female offspring in activity and habituation measures. Having controlled as far as possible for post natal maternal and environmental effects, the most likely conclusion is that caffeine has a direct pharmacological action on the fetus, and should therefore be classed as a behavioral teratogen in mice.

Baby acupuncture

This is a video of my son Aldan having four acupuncture needles inserted into his arms for his eczema. He did not cry at all.

Chinese sue Johnson and Johnson

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/toxic_baths03.html

In a reversal of a now-familiar pattern, a group of Chinese families is preparing to file suit against American manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, claiming that the company imported contaminated products into China, causing their children to suffer allergic symptoms.

The suit follows a report from American non-profit group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CFSC), which recently reported toxins in American-made bath products. The group reportedly found formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo and Procter & Gamble's Kandoo hand wash. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists both chemicals as possible carcinogens, and lists formaldehyde as a chemical with no safe level of exposure, meaning that even the smallest amount poses a risk to human health. Both chemicals are direct results of the manufacturing process and aren't listed on the ingredients label.

Eighty families have already organized in anticipation of the suit, and lawyers don't plan to stop there. Cui Baoyu, one of the attorneys involved, said that the group was pursuing a class action "because of the huge number of victims involved." More than 50 attorneys are already involved in the case, and Cui says that "the group continues expanding as more lawyers from all over the country ask to join every day."

The CFSC study, completed earlier this month, tested 48 products for 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, and found that a stunning 61% of products contained both. Since the release of the CFSC report, a major Chinese supermarket suspended sales of Johnson & Johnson products. Nonggongshan Supermarkets Corp., which owns more than 3,000 stores across eastern China, suspended sale of the products "until they are proved safe," according to quality control spokesman Gan Pingzhong. On March 16, the Vietnamese Drug Administration announced that it would begin testing Johnson & Johnson products in Vietnam.

IQ & Thyroid Function in Pregnancy

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1999;341:549-555, 601-602), if a woman is pregnant and has an underactive thyroid, the IQ of the child may be adversely affected. Children between the ages of seven and nine, with mothers who had untreated hypothyroidism, scored an average of seven points lower on IQ tests than children with mothers that had normal thyroid function. The article goes on to say that during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy the fetus relies entirely on the mother for thyroid hormone. They thyroid may play a role in brain development.
Dr. Tang's note: ask us if natural thyroid supplements may help you.

Toxin Traces Found in Umbilical Cord Blood

While we're on the topic of toxins for baby, guess how many toxins are being passed down from mom to baby? Approximately 300. This is one reason I have developed a detoxification protocol for my fertility patients. For ones seeking fertility through IVF with acupuncture assist I recommend holding off for one cycle to detox so it will reduce the toxic burden that would have been passed on to the fetus which may have increased the chances of miscarriage.

An article from MedPageToday.com, reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

CBS5 has their own medical correspondent Kim Mulvihill, M.D. independently report on this issue.

More toxins, this time for BABY!

Today's USA Today report on hidden toxins for baby, causing reproductive impairment. Same as the last article in our blog!