WE Blog

A disturbing new study challenges the belief that fetuses in the womb are protected from environmental pollution. The independent lab tests of 10 babies chosen at random found the fetuses’ umbilical cord blood contained an average of 200 contaminants, including pesticides and industrial chemicals known to cause cancer, brain damage and birth defects.
Meanwhile, a recently released Government Acountability Office review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical safety monitoring found EPA’s efforts “unlikely to address more than the most serious chemical risks.”
While the science is still out about the exact level at which some of these pollutants are dangerous, scientists agree that developing infants are especially vulnerable to contaminants.
All the more reason for Congress to renew efforts, already under way, to amend the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act to more strictly control the witches’ brew of chemicals being released into the environment.
Posted by Randy Scholfield