Canadian children may already be carrying environmental toxins in their bodies even before they are born, an environmental group says.

 

In a new report, Environmental Defence says it tested the umbilical cord blood of three babies born in Toronto and Hamilton and found evidence of 137 chemicals.

 

The chemicals included flame retardants, lead, PCBs, organochlorine pesticides and PFCs (perfluorochemicals), which are found in non-stick coatings.

 

The group says some of the chemicals have been banned for years, but were still found in the cord blood they tested, highlighting how long toxic chemicals can persist in our environment and bodies.

 

Some of the chemicals they found have been linked in some studies to health conditions such as cancer, and developmental and reproductive problems.

 

This is particularly worrisome, they say, because a fetus can absorb higher levels of toxic chemicals than adults in relation to their body size when they are growing so rapidly. As well, they say, their “detoxification mechanisms” are less developed than adults, meaning a fetus is not as efficient at flushing out chemicals.

 

The group says their findings suggest babies are exposed to chemicals in the womb because pollutants are so pervasive in our environment and our consumer products.