A new study warns pregnant women to steer clear from consuming any food or drinks from heated plastic containers as the act increases their risk of miscarriage by up to 80 percent.
The warning is not just concentrated on women alone, even males should be careful as the researchers also found that the chemicals emitted from the heated plastic containers can also affect their fertility by 20 percent. Heated plastic containers include microwaved meals, plastic bottles left in the sun, and canned foods.
Dr. Ruth Lathi, lead author of the study from and a reproductive endocrinologist at Stanford University, and her colleagues recruited 114 pregnant women and had them undergo blood tests to check the presence of the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). These women had history of miscarriages and difficulties conceiving.
BPA, according to the U.S Food and Drug Administration, is an industrial chemical present in hard plastics and canned food and drinks. The chemical passed the toxicity tests proving it safe for human use on low levels. However, recent studies by the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health question the validity of the earlier result due to its possible negative effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate glands in fetuses, babies, and young children.
The findings of the researchers from the Stanford University suggest that high exposure to the chemical could significantly increase the pregnant woman’s possibility of losing the baby. However, it is impossible to avoid the chemical as it is present even on household items made of plastic.
Between 15 and 20 percent of pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Those women were found to have high levels of BPA on their blood serum.
They recommend pregnant women to minimize their exposure to BPA by avoiding cooking or heating in plastic containers as the chemical leak faster when heated.
The researchers admitted that they will need further study to fully establish the link of the chemical to the recorded high rates of miscarriages.
The study was presented at the 69th American Society for Reproductive Medicine's annual conference in Boston.
