Want your baby’s IQ to be a few points higher? Then keep away from chemicals in household items like nail polish, raincoats, hairspray, food wraps, vinyl and pill coating during pregnancy, a new study says.
Researchers from Columbia University made the link after analysing 328 mothers and their kids in New York City. The mothers’ exposure to chemicals called phthalates during the third trimester of pregnancy were measured, and then, seven years later, their children’s IQ were tested. Kids in the top 25% of chemical exposure scored 6.6 to 7.6 points lower.
“The magnitude of these IQ differences is troubling,” one of the study’s authors, Robin Whyatt, said in a press release. “A six- or seven-point decline in IQ may have substantial consequences for academic achievement and occupational potential.”
So what should an expectant mother do? The researchers recommend not microwaving food in plastics, avoiding scented products like dryer sheets and avoiding plastics labeled 3, 6, and 7.
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Image Credit: CTV News
