U.S. Infants Exposed To BPA in the Womb, Study Says

Traces of bisphenol A (BPA), a potentially harmful chemical found in thousands of everyday plastics, was found in the umbilical cord blood of minority newborns, the first evidence that U.S. infants are exposed to the chemical in the womb, according to a new study. The chemical, which is known to disrupt development in animals, was found in 9 of 10 blood samples collected from infants of African American, Hispanic, and Asian descent in the study by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group. The blood tests also found more than 200 other synthetic chemicals in the newborns’ blood, including a toxic flame retardant chemical called tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA, or C4), a member of the Teflon chemical family used to make non-stick coatings for consumer products. The study of minority newborns builds on similar findings from a 2005 study of 10 babies, researchers said, indicating that chemical exposure among U.S. infants is ubiquitous.