Pregnant women exposed to certain types of flame-retardant chemicals, namely organophosphate esters (OPEs), may encounter an elevated risk of preterm birth, particularly for baby girls, or increased birth weights for both girls and boys.
Manufacturers commonly use OPEs in products such as furniture, baby items, electronics, clothes, and building materials to prevent fires and make plastics more flexible. People can come into contact with OPEs in various ways, including swallowing or breathing indoor dust or absorbing it through the skin.
In the past decade, OPEs have been increasingly used as flame retardants after polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants were phased out due to health risks. ECHO researchers wanted to learn how these now more widespread OPE chemicals might affect pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and birth weight.
New Flame Retardants Pose Potential Risks
“The widespread use of products with new flame retardants among pregnant people in the U.S. means that a significant number of births could be affected by these compounds,” said Deborah Bennett, PhD, of the University of California, Davis. “In fact, ECHO researchers learned that more than 85% of the study participants had three specific markers of OPE exposure in their bodies.”
Babies born to mothers with detectable levels of three other OPE markers—bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate, bis(2-methylphenyl) phosphate, and dipropyl phosphate—tended to have higher birth weights compared to those whose mothers had no detectable levels of these substances. Babies with a higher birth weight might be more likely to have jaundice, breathing problems, or congenital disorders.
Researchers measured a total of nine OPE markers in urine samples collected from 6,646 pregnant participants across 16 ECHO Cohort Study Sites—often during their third or second trimesters. The researchers assessed birth outcomes, including the length of pregnancy and birth weight, using medical records or parent reports.
“These substances tend to stay in the body for short periods, usually just hours to days,” said Dr. Bennett. “Conducting more thorough studies with various urine tests can help us figure out how they might be linked to birth outcomes.”
Source-Eurekalert
