Vinyl flooring chemical linked to high blood pressure during pregnancy

We love documenting “firsts.”

Baby’s first sound, steps and day of school, but what about their first exposure to hazardous chemicals? In chronological order, this would be first on the list of a lifetime of recorded events.

Chemicals often used in vinyl flooring and PVC may make pregnant women more susceptible to heart diseases, according to a new study. It builds on other studies that concluded that certain phthalates, also found in plastics, cosmetics, fragrances and—by extension, most of us—may impact heart health.

The researchers looked at phthalate levels in the urine of 369 pregnant women during their pregnancy. They also monitored blood pressure and any pregnancy-induced heart problems.

The body breaks down phthalates into metabolites. Researchers found that women with the highest levels of a common phthalate metabolite were almost three times as likely to have pregnancy-induced high blood pressure than women with the lowest levels.

“Pregnancy is kind of like a stress test,” said lead author Dr. Erika Werner, an assistant professor at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School. She said many women who develop heart problems later in life experience high blood pressure and related complications during pregnancy.

Click here to read the full article from Environmental Health News.

Click here to read a related study from Reuters.