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Preschool kids in the US are regularly exposed to a cocktail of harmful industrial and consumer chemicals, with potentially serious effects on their health and development.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program conducted one of the most detailed studies into children’s chemical exposure yet.
They looked at 201 children aged between two and four from four different states: California, Georgia, New York and Washington.
They tested for the presence of 111 different chemicals, including pesticides, flame retardants, plasticizers and parabens, chemicals which have been linked to a wide range of negative health effects and chronic diseases.
Five children showed detectable levels of 96 of the 111 chemicals tested for.
Younger children, especially two year olds, showed higher levels of harmful chemicals than their peers.
The study also showed that children often had higher levels of certain chemicals in their bodies than their mothers, a clear sign that children face elevated environmental and dietary exposure to harmful chemicals. These included two phthalates, bisphenol S and the pesticide biomarkers 3-PBA and trans-DCCA.
Many of these chemicals are likely to enter children’s bodies through foods, especially ultra-processed foods, but also through chemicals used around the home and in personal-care products, as well as through exposure to plastic objects including toys, bottles, sippy cups and cutlery.
Nine of the compounds detected were absent from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The researchers warn that this means there are gaps in the monitoring of harmful substances and their effects on humans, including children.
The researchers are calling for stricter monitoring and regulation of harmful chemicals. Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK Jr. has made reducing Americans’ exposure to harmful chemicals a central plank of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
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