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More than 40 Mystery Chemicals Detected in Pregnant Women, Study Finds

A study of pregnant women has detected 109 chemicals in people, 55 of which were never before reported in humans, as well as 42 so-called “mystery chemicals” whose sources and uses are unknown.

The Study Uncovers Surprising New Find

A study on the human body undertaken by scientists at UC San Francisco (UCSF) has provided some shocking, if not troubling, results. The study was published March 17, 2021, in the Journal Environmental Science and Technology, Phys.org reports.

The study was focused upon pregnant women and how chemicals traveled to their children. The researchers used high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to identify man-made chemicals in their human test subjects.

To their surprise–or horror–the researchers detected a total of 109 chemicals, which included 55 chemicals that had never been reported in humans before. 42 of them were deemed to be “mystery chemicals,” to which the sources and uses were unknown to scientists.

According to the researchers, the chemicals most likely come from consumer products or other industrial sources. In the study, the chemicals were found in the blood of pregnant women as well as their newborn children. Scientists say this suggests that the chemicals are traveling through the mother’s placenta.

Some Chemicals May Have Been in Humans for Generations, Undetected

In explaining the newly detected chemicals in human beings that were previously undiscovered, the researchers said it was due to improved testing technology.

“These chemicals have probably been in people for quite some time, but our technology is now helping us to identify more of them,” said Doctor Tracey J. Woodruff, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at UCSF. “It is alarming that we keep seeing certain chemicals travel from pregnant women to their children, which means these chemicals can be with us for generations.”

Woodruff is also a former EPA scientists. She currently directs the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) and the Environmental Research and Translation for Health (EaRTH) Center, both at UCSF.

Where Are These Chemicals Coming From?

Of that 109 chemicals found, the researchers said 55 of them had not been previously been detected in human beings. Some of these chemicals were traced to pesticides, PFAS (likely those from nonstick cookware or waterproof fabrics), plasticizers, cosmetics, high production volume (HPV) chemicals. However, researchers have little to no information about the sources of 37 of the 55 previously undetected chemicals in people.

“It’s very concerning that we are unable to identify the uses or sources of so many of these chemicals,” Doctor Woodruff said. “EPA must do a better job of requiring the chemical industry to standardize its reporting of chemical compounds and uses. And they need to use their authority to ensure that we have adequate information to evaluate potential health harms and remove chemicals from the market that pose a risk.”

Cooperation from Chemical Manufacturers Needed in Order to Accurately Test Toxicity

The researchers pointed out that, while some chemicals can be loosely identified using chemical libraries, more precise identification is needed. That can only happen by comparing the chemicals detected in the body to the pure versions of the chemicals that are produced by manufacturers. These are known as “analytical standards.” However, a big part of the problem lies in the fact that manufacturers do not always make these available. This also limits a researcher’s ability to test the toxicity of some chemicals.

Co-author of the study, Dimitri Panagopoulos Abrahamsson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow with UCSF’s PRHE said: “These new technologies are promising in enabling us to identify more chemicals in people, but our study findings also make clear that chemical manufacturers need to provide analytical standards so that we can confirm the presence of chemicals and evaluate their toxicity.”