Common products that women routinely apply to their skin and hair can put them and their babies at risk, according to a new study published Wednesday in Environmental health perspectives.
The study, led by scientists at Emory University, Northeastern University and the University of Michigan, found that chemicals called phenols and parabens may increase the risk of high blood pressure and hypertension during pregnancy and pose a risk to the long-term health of mothers and their babies. These chemicals are commonly used as UV filters in body lotions, hand soaps, shampoos and sunscreens, and to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold in makeup and other cosmetics.
“Our findings show that these chemicals found in consumer products are associated with truly adverse pregnancy outcomes, and that higher levels of these chemicals can lead to gestational hypertension and, ultimately, to women delivering their babies prematurely and with lower birth weights,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Stephanie Eick, assistant professor in the departments of environmental health and epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
High blood pressure during pregnancy can lead to problems such as restricted fetal growth, low birth weight, and premature birth. It can also lead to dangerous health complications for the mother, such as preeclampsia or stroke during pregnancy, while also increasing the likelihood of other negative outcomes such as diabetes and heart disease long after pregnancy.
“But these risk factors can potentially be modified by limiting exposure to these chemicals. We found that this has a stronger effect when people are exposed to multiple types of these chemicals at the same time,” Eick said. “That underscores why it would be beneficial from a public health perspective to regulate similar chemicals as a class rather than separately. Because the reality is that we are all exposed to many things at the same time and we just need to do our best to limit our exposure as much as possible.”
The study, titled “Association between phenols, parabens and their mixtures and maternal blood pressure measurements in the PROTECT cohort,” is the largest study of its kind to date and included more than 1,000 pregnant women in northern Puerto Rico who participated as part of the PROTECT cohort, which follows children to investigate environmental chemical contamination and its contribution to maternal and child health.
“These everyday products that we think are safe can actually harm us and our babies during a critical time of pregnancy,” said lead author Julia Varshavsky, PhD, assistant professor in the schools of public health and health sciences and civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern University. “We found that the combined effects of phenol and paraben blends increase the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy in a vulnerable population of women in Puerto Rico who also disproportionately struggle with exposure to other toxic chemicals, poverty, and climate change-related disasters such as hurricanes and floods.”
