Protecting your fetus from plastic pollution

In 1969, Yoko’s Plastic Ono Band was called visionary and, frankly, hard to figure out. Membership in the group was plastic-elastic, includ- ing audience members and any musicians who were hanging around. But since then, the onslaught of plas- tic pollution that permeates the air we breathe, the food we eat and our oceans and streams has made it a far less hip-sounding name for a band.

We’re all trying to give up plastic bags and opt for glass and paper containers, as scientists rush to invent ways to separate plastic from water and air. It’s essential because chemicals used to make plastic can cause cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, reproductive issues and developmental problems in a fetus, newborn and child.

A recent study alerts mothers-to-be of one more plastic hazard: Swedish researchers found that when a male fetus is exposed to bisphenol F (BPF), used in making plastic, he may have a lower IQ at age 7. BPF has that effect because it causes a fetus’s genes that influence neurological development to switch on or off. Exposure in- utero can come through Mom’s diet or food packaging, when she ingests and inhales household dust, and from handling thermal receipt paper. (You remember bisphenol A (BPA)? It leaches into food when used to line cans, print receipts or make plastic. BPF is a relative.)

So, make every effort to avoid plastic (substitutes for BPA and F are also risky). Wash your hands after touching a receipt and stick with fresh, unpackaged foods.