Chemicals commonly used in perfumes, toiletries, plastics and packaging may be linked to higher blood pressure during pregnancy, according to a study.
Pregnant women with the highest levels of phthalates in their blood, a group of synthetic chemicals commonly mixed into plastics to soften them, had the highest blood pressure readings.
Previous studies have linked phthalates to reduced sperm count, reproductive problems and fertility complications.
American researchers followed 338 pregnant women and measured urine chemical levels and blood pressure at 11, 19 and 26 weeks of pregnancy – and 13 percent developed a pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorder.
The study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, found that monoethyl phthalate, which is absorbed through the skin or inhaled through air and dust containing odor residues, is the chemical most consistently linked to higher blood pressure.
This is where the force of the blood pressing against the artery walls is dangerously high. It affects a tenth of pregnant women in Britain and increases the risk of serious complications including premature birth and low birth weight.
It can have several causes, including obesity. But experts say this study shows that chemicals can also raise blood pressure.
Chemicals commonly used in perfumes, toiletries, plastics and packaging may be linked to higher blood pressure during pregnancy, according to a study
“Our study suggests that having higher concentrations of chemicals associated with personal care products – known as phthalates – in the body may contribute to increased blood pressure during pregnancy,” says Kimberly Parra, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
“Reducing exposure to this class of chemicals by limiting personal care products containing these ingredients, especially those with fragrances, may be one way to address high blood pressure during pregnancy and improve pregnancy health.”
Dangerous reproductive toxic phthalates are banned in make-up and beauty products sold in Britain.
However, generic labeling allows various fragrance ingredients to be grouped under the single word “fragrance” or “perfume,” which can obscure or reveal traces of specific non-prohibited components.
