"Infants Exposed To 'Potentially Harmful' Chemicals in Vinyl"

"Most babies born prematurely and one-third of full-term infants are exposed to chemicals found in vinyl 'at a potentially harmful level,' according to new research in Finland.

The study of 125 babies from the day they were born to 14 months old is the first comprehensive examination of infants’ exposure to several phthalates. The chemicals, considered hormone disruptors, have been linked to health effects in animal tests and some human studies, including altered male genitalia, attention and learning problems and asthma.

The sources of the phthalates in the babies are unknown. But some researchers suspect that they came from hospital equipment or household materials."

Lindsey Konkel reports for Environmental Health News June 10, 2014.