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- The first documentation of pesticides
and other man-made chemicals in the amniotic fluid of unborn babies in
amounts that could disrupt the natural fetal hormones was revealed Monday
by a team of U.S. and Canadian researchers. Scientists from Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and the University of Calgary
in Alberta, Canada analyzed amniotic fluid from 53 pregnant women from
the Los Angeles area. About 30 percent showed measurable levels of DDE,
a waste product of the pesticide DDT. DDE binds to receptors for the male
hormone testosterone, and can interfere with the normal effects of testosterone
on a growing fetus. "The key factor in assessing the significance
of compounds that act like hormones is how their concentrations relate
to the naturally occurring hormones," said Dr. Claude Hughes, director
of the Center for Women's Health at Cedars-Sinai. Samples with the highest
DDE concentrations were nearly equal to the testosterone level that should
be found in female fetuses, about half the testosterone level that should
be found in male fetuses. Warren Foster, Ph.D., director of research and
associate director of the Center for Women's Health, said, "With these
levels of DDE present, the natural hormones will presumably be suppressed
or blocked. It could have an effect upon the baby's development, such as
masculinization; however, it's speculation at this point." Smaller
detectable amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other man-made
chemicals were measured in the samples. The researchers have applied for
a grant to analyze amniotic fluid from 1,000 women from the Los Angeles
area and from Hamilton, Ontario. "We want two different sites because
there is evidence within the literature, both with my own previous studies
as well as others, that there are regional differences in exposures,"
said Dr. Foster. "People on the West Coast typically have higher DDE
exposures than people on the East Coast, whereas people on the East Coast
may actually have higher PCB exposures."
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