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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A new study released Thursday questions the long-held belief that fetuses in the womb are largely protected from dangerous chemicals pregnant women are exposed to.
Laboratory tests of the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborns found that the samples contained an average of 200 chemicals that can cause cancer, brain damage, birth defects and other health ailments, according to the study sponsored by the Environmental Working Group.
"This is conclusive evidence that babies are being exposed to hundreds of industrial chemicals throughout pregnancy," said Sonya Lunder, an EWG scientist in Oakland who is five months pregnant. "The placenta isn't a magic shield."
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