Hidden Toxic Chemicals Linked to Asthma and Birth Defects Found in Children’s … – The Herald | HeraldOnline.com

Hidden Toxic Chemicals Linked to Asthma and Birth Defects Found in Children's
The Herald | HeraldOnline.com
26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A brand new report reveals that toxic chemicals linked to asthma and birth defects that are banned in toys were found to be widespread in children's vinyl back-to-school supplies. Seventy-five percent of children's

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Asthma and Second Hand Smoke

Press reports reflect that new studies suggests kids who live with a smoker are more likely to wheeze or get asthma, providing more evidence for the link between secondhand smoke and breathing problems.

Researchers found that the biggest effect on wheeze and asthma symptoms was seen in babies and toddlers whose moms smoked while they were pregnant or soon after kids were born.

The findings don’t prove that secondhand smoke caused kids to get asthma, but they add to other research suggesting smoke exposure may trigger respiratory problems in youngsters, researchers said.

“What this really clearly demonstrates is that the research and data documenting the adverse effects of tobacco smoke exposure on children’s asthma is very strong,” said Dr. Harold J. Farber, who studies smoking exposure and asthma at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

He said kids’ lungs may be weaker when they’re exposed to smoke in the womb, and asthma drugs may not work as well in those children.

“Eliminating our children’s tobacco exposure has got to be a critical public health priority,” Farber, who wasn’t involved in the report, told Reuters Health.

Researchers from the UK analyzed more than 70 studies published between 1997 and 2011, all of which asked about smoking by parents or other household members and then tracked which kids were diagnosed with wheezing or asthma going forward.

Those studies showed that when moms smoked while they were pregnant, their kids were 28 to 52 percent more likely to wheeze, depending on the age they were assessed. The effect on asthma symptoms was greatest in babies and toddlers, who were 85 percent more likely to have asthma if they were exposed to smoke in the womb.

When moms or non-parent household members smoked, kids had up to a 70 percent higher chance of wheezing through age four, but the link to full-on asthma was less clear. The effect of maternal smoking was weakest in kids age five to 18.

There was limited data on how smoking by dads affected kids’ chances of wheezing or getting asthma, according to findings published Monday in Pediatrics.

Tricia McKeever from the University of Nottingham and her colleagues said their findings suggest that secondhand smoke has more of an influence on wheeze and asthma than researchers had previously estimated.

“Before, (secondhand smoke) was known as triggering an attack or exacerbating asthma,” said Geoffrey Fong, a tobacco researcher from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

“This study shows that secondhand smoke may cause the development of asthma,” and not just trigger attacks in kids who already have it, said Fong, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

Are asthma inhalers linked to birth defects – Independent Online


Independent Online

Are asthma inhalers linked to birth defects
Independent Online
By BEEZY MARSH Thousands of pregnant women taking prescription drugs for asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and depression are at the centre of a major inquiry into birth defects and health problems in babies. London – Thousands of pregnant women taking
Inhalers 'linked to child health problems'Halifax Evening Courier

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Are asthma inhalers linked to birth defects? Thousands of pregnant women at … – Daily Mail


Daily Mail

Are asthma inhalers linked to birth defects? Thousands of pregnant women at
Daily Mail
By Beezy Marsh Thousands of pregnant women taking prescription drugs for asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and depression are at the centre of a major inquiry into birth defects and health problems in babies. Asthma inhalers, man-made insulin,

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Late preemie birth may be linked to higher asthma risk – PhysOrg.com


The Times of Trenton – NJ.com

Late preemie birth may be linked to higher asthma risk
PhysOrg.com
(HealthDay) — Babies born just a few weeks early appear to face a greater risk of developing asthma when compared with children born at full term, new research reveals. The observation applied to infants born between the 34th and 37th week of
AAAAI: Asthma Patients More Tolerant of Food ChallengesDoctors Lounge
Allergy Collaborative Turns First Focus on Food AllergyMedscape
Many Asthmatics Do Well on Food-Allergy TestsEveryday Health
ABC2 News –MedPage Today
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Infancy health risk linked to early birth by research – PakTribune.com


The Guardian

Infancy health risk linked to early birth by research
PakTribune.com
It looked at health outcomes including admissions to hospital and having illnesses such as asthma. Previous work has focused on babies born very prematurely, before 32 weeks.But this study suggests that the higher number of babies born later may also
Babies born a few weeks early 'suffer health risks'The Guardian
Babies born just two weeks early at higher risk of health problemsDaily Mail
Being born even slightly early carried greater risk of illnessNHS Choices
Active Quote
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Prenatal Exposure to Bisphenol A and Child Wheeze from Birth to Three Years.

Prenatal Exposure to Bisphenol A and Child Wheeze from Birth to Three Years.

Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Feb 14;

Authors: Spanier AJ, Kahn RS, Kunselman AR, Hornung R, Xu Y, Calafat AM, Lanphear BP

Abstract
Background: Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disrupting chemical that is routinely detected in >90% of Americans, promotes experimental asthma in mice. The association of prenatal BPA exposure and wheeze has not been evaluated in humans. Objective: To examine the relationship between prenatal BPA exposure and wheeze in early childhood. Methods: We measured BPA concentrations in serial maternal urine samples from a prospective birth cohort of 398 mother-infant pairs and assessed parent-reported child wheeze every six months for three years. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) with a logit link to evaluate the association of prenatal urinary BPA concentration with the dichotomous outcome wheeze (wheeze over the previous six months). Results: Data were available for 365 children; BPA was detected in 99% of maternal urine samples during pregnancy. In multivariable analysis, a 1-unit increase in log-transformed creatinine-standardized mean prenatal urinary BPA concentration was not significantly associated with child wheeze from birth to three years of age, but there was an interaction of BPA concentration with time (p=0.003). Mean prenatal BPA above versus below the median was positively associated with wheeze at age six months [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.3 (95% CI: 1.3, 4.1)], but not at three years (AOR=0.6, 95% CI: 0.3, 1.1). In secondary analyses evaluating associations of each prenatal BPA concentration separately, urinary BPA concentrations measured at 16 weeks gestation were associated with wheeze (AOR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0, 1.5), but not BPA concentrations at 26 weeks of gestation or at birth. Conclusions: Mean prenatal BPA was associated with increased odds of wheeze in early life, and the effect diminished over time. Evaluating exposure at each prenatal time point demonstrated an association between wheeze from six months to three years and log-transformed BPA concentration at 16 weeks gestation only.

PMID: 22334053 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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