Learn more about chemicals that can be harmful when you’re pregnant — and what you can do to keep you and your baby safe.
Get the basics
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): Harmful Chemicals to Avoid When You’re Pregnant
Check out these colorful graphics with tips on how to stay away from chemicals throughout the day. - How to Reduce Your Exposure to Chemicals at Home, Work, and Play
Read through some general guidance on limiting your contact. - American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): Environmental Chemicals — Stay Safe During Pregnancy Infographic
Check out tips on how to protect yourself during pregnancy. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Avoid Harmful Substances
Learn how to make a PACT for prevention when you’re pregnant. - University of California San Francisco: Toxic Matters, Protecting Our Families from Toxic Substances
Read an overview with tips on how to limit contact with harmful chemicals every day.
Use Chemicals at Work Safely
- Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration: Cleaning Chemicals and Your Health
Check out this fact sheet for people who use industrial cleaners at work. - Office of Compliance: What You Should Know About Workplace Chemicals
Learn about the training you need if you work with harmful chemicals.
Protect yourself from tobacco smoke
- American Lung Association: How to Quit Smoking
Check out 5 steps for quitting — for you or a loved one. - American Thoracic Society: Smoking and Pregnancy
Find out how smoking affects you when you’re pregnant — and get tips on how to quit. - Environmental Protection Agency: Secondhand Smoke and the Health of Your Family (in English and Spanish)
Learn how to protect yourself from secondhand smoke. - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Cigarette Smoke
Get more information about the effects of cigarette smoke.
Choose safer personal care products
- Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Look up thousands of types of makeup, lotions, and cosmetics to find out what’s in them — so you can make smarter choices about what to buy. - U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA): Lead in Cosmetics
Find out more about lead in some hair dyes and traditional eyeliner (kohl, kahal, al-kahal, or surma). - U.S. FDA: Parabens in Cosmetics
Learn about a type of chemical preservative in many cosmetics.
Watch out for lead
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Lead Prevention Tips
Get tips from CDC on how to protect your family from lead. - Environmental Protection Agency: Learn About Lead
Find out how you might have contact with lead and how you can prevent it.
Protect yourself from air pollution — inside and outside
- AirNow.gov: Air Quality Index
Use this tool to look up current air quality in your area, so you’ll be prepared when air pollution is bad. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): What is carbon monoxide?
Read the CDC’s frequently asked questions about carbon monoxide. - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Air Pollution
Learn how indoor and outdoor air pollution can affect your health.
Cut down on pesticides
- California Department of Pesticide Regulation: Pull Welcome Mat In, Keep Pesky Guests Out
Get tips on how to prevent pests in your home and yard without using pesticides. - California Department of Pesticide Regulation: Don't Play Around with Children and Pesticides
Find out how to protect young children from pesticides. - Consumer Reports: The Cost of Organic Food
Compare the costs of organic fruits and vegetables — which may have less pesticides — with nonorganic types. - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Citizen’s Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety
Learn how to control pests in and around your home safely.
Choose safe seafood
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Choose Fish and Shellfish Wisely
Get information on fish and shellfish advisories — so you can make sure the seafood you eat is safe. - U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Fish — What Pregnant Women and Parents Should Know
Read the current guidelines about which seafood — and how much — you can eat.
Limit flame retardants and plastics at home
- Center for Environmental Health (Killer Couch): Tips to Reduce Your Family’s Exposure to Flame Retardants
Learn how to choose furniture and other products that haven’t been treated with harmful flame retardants. - Center for Environmental Health: Reduce Your Exposure to Toxic Flame Retardant Chemicals
Find out how to limit your contact with flame retardant chemicals while shopping and cleaning. - Environmental Working Group: Pick Plastics Carefully
Get tips on how to choose safer plastics — and how to prevent plastics from getting into your food.