Exposure to lead during pregnancy - what will happen to your child?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is a source that we trust to the core of the information, as they are very clear and transparent about all of the studies conducted and any information that is presented as factual. We often turn to them to have our questions answered regarding the dangers and threats that lead contamination poses as a threat, to millions of people every day, in their very own homes. In doing research we found this very interesting and informative committee opinion from the Committee on Obstetric Practice, which was reaffirmed in 2018.

Many questions have been raised, with little conclusive evidence being given to those in question, regarding the impact of lead intoxication (the result of somehow ingesting or being exposed to lead contamination) found in pregnant women - as well as the impact the intoxication can have on the prenatal development of the fetus and of course the child when it is born.

below we have highlighted the ht the key factors that you need to know about and that we found best summarises the vast amounts of information presented by ACOG. The first point to make very clear is that “Evidence shows that maternal exposure to high levels of lead increases the risk of spontaneous abortion", which in our opinion directly related to the matter that “well-designed studies suggest that maternal lead exposure during pregnancy is inversely related to fetal growth, as reflected by duration of pregnancy and infant size”.

So not only is the chance of unwanted and spontaneous abortion higher, but it is also a lot more likely that the overall development of the fetus throughout pregnancy will lead to significant “low birth weight, and impaired neurodevelopment”.

It should be very clear that ”Risk assessment of lead exposure should take place at the earliest contact with pregnant or lactating women, and blood lead testing should be performed if a single risk factor is identified.” as “Prenatal lead exposure has known adverse effects on maternal health and infant outcomes across a wide range of maternal blood lead levels.”

Also what is good to know for anyone who is breastfeeding and is concerned about having been exposed to lead prior to or during pregnancy, is that the best way to guarantee safety for your child’s development is to have blood levels tested for the lead levels. “A breastfeeding woman with a confirmed blood lead level of 40 micrograms/dL or higher should be advised to pump and discard her breast milk until her blood lead level has decreased to less than 40 micrograms/dL.”

At Nature 2 Tap, we want to focus on education first and foremost. We believe it is our responsibility to provide valuable and important information to citizens all over the country, to make sure that everyone at the very least has the educated option to make a decision. Our team is testing each of our water sources at home once every 3 months at least to make sure that we aren’t unexpectedly met with lead contaminants as we are fully aware of the risks involved. Unfortunately most people are not, this including a majority of pregnant women! Help us spread the message to make sure that every mother or mother-to-be understands the seriousness there is with this topic! Let’s help secure the health of our future generations as best as we can, and let’s not let lead be an issue they have to deal with when its something we could have stopped.