Access key professional resources — as well as materials you can pass on to your patients — about toxic chemicals and environmental exposure during pregnancy.
General Background
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee Opinion: Exposure to Toxic Environmental Agents
Read ACOG’s 2013 statement on the urgent need for providers to reduce patient exposure to toxicants. - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): Toxic Substances Portal
Look up Public Health Statements and other documents on hundreds of different chemicals and toxicants. - International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Opinion on Reproductive Health Impacts of Exposure to Toxic Environmental Chemicals
Read FIGO’s 2015 statement on the need for reproductive and other health professionals to advocate for policies to prevent exposure to toxic environmental chemicals and make environmental health part of health care. - Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU): Complete Guidance
Review the complete reference document that informed the development of the PAER site and assessment. - Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists: Chemical Exposures During Pregnancy: Dealing with Potential, but Unproven, Risks to Child Health
Read RCOG’s 2013 paper raising awareness about issues surrounding chemical exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding. - Truven Health Analytics: Micromedex Toxicology Management
Search the largest and most complete reference tool for evidence-based toxicological content (requires a license after 30 days).
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU): Online Trainings
These online trainings provide a background in reproductive health issues and the risks and effects of harmful environmental chemicals during pregnancy.
- Climate Change and Reproductive Health: What Providers Should Know and Do
- Insect Repellants and Pregnancy in the Zika Era
- Old Poison, New Findings — Arsenic’s Effect on Maternal and Child Health
- New Findings on Air Pollution and Pregnancy
- Reproductive Toxicology
ATSDR: Harmful Chemicals to Avoid When You’re Pregnant [For Patients]
Give patients these colorful graphics with tips on how to stay away from harmful chemicals throughout the day.
Chemicals and Toxicants
Organic solvents (including benzene and VOCs)
- University of California Berkeley, Office of Environment, Health & Safety: Glove Selection Guide
Use this checklist and comparison guide to identify the appropriate type of protective gloves for specific jobs involving organic solvents and other chemicals. - University of Connecticut, Division of Environmental Health and Safety: Organic Solvents — Safe Work Practices
Consult a list of best practices that can help researchers control and minimize exposures to organic solvents.
Benzene
- ATSDR: Benzene (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about benzene.
VOCs
- ATSDR: Volatile Organic Compounds (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about VOCs. - The Environment and Women’s Health: Volatile Organic Compounds
Get patient-friendly guidance about the health effects of VOCs.
Air pollution (including carbon monoxide and environmental tobacco smoke)
- AirNow.gov: Air Quality Index [For Patients]
Use this tool to look up current air quality in your area, so you can help patients take precautions. - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Criteria Air Pollutants
Get detailed information about 6 “criteria” air pollutants regulated by the EPA.
Carbon monoxide
- ATSDR: Carbon Monoxide (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about carbon monoxide.
Environmental tobacco smoke
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee Opinion: Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy
Read ACOG’s 2010 statement about smoking — one of the most easily modifiable causes of poor pregnancy outcomes in the United States. - Environmental Protection Agency: Secondhand Smoke and the Health of Your Family [For Patients]
Pass this brochure on to patients to help them protect themselves from secondhand smoke. - U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce: Counseling and Interventions to Prevent Tobacco Use and Tobacco-Caused Disease in Adults and Pregnant Women: Reaffirmation Recommendation Statement
Review USPST’s recommendation that all physicians ask patients about smoking and offer cessation techniques.
Personal care products
- Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database [For Patients]
Refer patients to this site where they can look up personal care products and evaluate their safety. - U.S. Department of Labor: Health Hazards in Nail Salons
Get data about common nail salon health hazards and how owners and employees can work together to prevent injuries and illness. - U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Kohl, Kajal, Al-Kahal, or Surma, By Any Name, Beware of Lead Poisoning
Review the risks of lead in a type of traditional eye makeup.
Lead
- ATSDR: Lead (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about lead. - American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee Opinion: Lead Screening During Pregnancy and Lactation
Read ACOG’s 2012 statement about the risks of lead and when to screen pregnant patients. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Guidelines for the Identification and Management of Lead Exposure in Pregnant and Lactating Women
Use these extensive guidelines to help manage lead exposure in pregnant and lactating patients. - Environmental Protection Agency: Lead Laws and Regulations
Search through laws and regulations related to lead in paint, dust, soil, air, water and waste.
Flame Retardants
- ATSDR: Phosphate Ester Flame Retardants (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about phosphate ester flame retardants. - ATSDR: Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) & Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about PBBs and PBDEs. - Center for Environmental Health: Reduce Your Exposure to Toxic Flame Retardant Chemicals [For Patients]
Give patients tips on reducing exposure to flame retardant chemicals at home. - Center for Environmental Health: Killer Couch Website
Review a consumer site about the risks of flame retardants in furniture.
Pesticides
- ATSDR: Pesticides (Toxic Substances Portal)
See a list of all pesticides covered in the Toxic Substances Portal. - Consumer Reports: The Cost of Organic Food [For Patients]
Help patients compare the costs of non-organic and organic foods (which may be lower in pesticides). - Environmental Protection Agency: Citizen’s Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety[For Patients]
Refer patients to this detailed but helpful resource about safe ways to control pests. - Environmental Protection Agency: Pesticides
Get details about specific pesticides from this comprehensive EPA site. - National Pesticide Information Center: Pesticides and Pregnancy [For Patients]
Give patients this quick overview of steps they can take to avoid pesticides during pregnancy.
Mercury
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Practice Advisory: Seafood Consumption During Pregnancy
Review ACOG’s statement on the benefits and risks of seafood during pregnancy. - ATSDR: Mercury (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about lead. - Environmental Protection Agency: Advisories and Technical Resources for Fish and Shellfish Consumption
Visit this website for access to fish and shellfish advisories for your area and other data.
PCBs
- ATSDR: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about PCBs.
Plastics (including BPA and phthalates)
BPA
- Environmental Protection Agency: Biomonitoring BPA
Get data related to BPA concentrations in different populations. - National Toxicology Program: Bisphenol A (BPA)
Access a basic overview about the effects of BPA. - U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Bisphenol A (BPA) Use in Food Contact Application
Read the FDA’s analysis of BPA in food containers and packaging.
Phthalates
- ATSDR: Phthalates (Toxic Substances Portal)
Review information for professionals and consumers about phthalates. - U.S. Food & Drug Administration: Phthalates
Read an overview about the risks of phthalates and how they are used in consumer products.