Most doctors don’t warn pregnant patients about environmental risks (Environmental Health News, 10/10/12)
“A new nationwide survey of 2,600 obstetricians and gynecologists found that most do not warn their pregnant patients about chemicals in food, consumer products or the environment that could endanger their fetuses. More than half said they don’t warn about mercury, and hardly any of them give advice about lead, pesticides, air pollution or chemicals in plastics or cosmetics. Many doctors say their priority is to protect pregnant women from more immediate dangers, and that warning them about environmental risks may create undue anxiety. Some say they don’t feel confident in their ability to discuss the topics….”
Tag Archives | mercury
In the News
In the News
Is it a Good Time to Be a Girl in India? (NYT, 10/11/12) India’s “scuffled steps towards girls’ rights and gender equality.”
Iraq records huge rise in birth defects (The Independent, 10/14/12) Compelling evidence that US and NATO munitions used in the conflict in Fallujah are linked to a “staggering rise” in birth defects among Iraqi children conceived after the war. “High rates of miscarriage, toxic levels of lead and mercury contamination and spiraling numbers of birth defects ranging from congenital heart defects to brain dysfunctions and malformed limbs have been recorded.” More than half of the babies surveyed were born with a birth defect between 2007 and 2010.
Pesticide Protest: Soccer Moms Play It Safe, Keep Kids Off Fields Over Chemical Concerns (Huffington Post, 10/12/12) An expert said, “There is essentially no data on the safety of pesticide mixtures. The use of three herbicides mixed in the same formulation is a bold move considering the unknown synergistic effects,” likening the application of the product to a doctor prescribing three pain killers to a patient.
School Tuna Contains Excessive Mercury
Last week, Environmental Health News reported that canned albacore tuna purchased by U.S. schools contains more mercury than what government officials have reported. A child who eats two medium servings of albacore tuna per week could be exposed to as much as six times the dose that federal guidelines consider safe.
Children should avoid eating albacore tuna. Children under 55 pounds should eat “light” tuna no more than once a month.
Does this frustrate you? Help fight the pollution …
Dr. Landrigan’s Healthy Pregnancy Tips
Dr. Philip Landrigan is a pediatrician and the director of Mt. Sinai’s Children’s Environmental Health Center. Here’s a link to his 8 tips for a healthy pregnancy. They include beware of lead, eat only safe fish, and avoid phthalates and BPA. Landrigan’s advice should be heeded not only by pregnant women, but also by those [...]
About Elizabeth
I'm a writer and the mother of William and Fergus. Before dedicating my work to children's environmental health, I earned an MA in Cultural Reporting and Criticism from New York University and was a photography editor at The New Yorker. My family is preparing to move to New Orleans, where my husband, an architect, is building us a non-toxic home.
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