Adults are exposed to toxic chemicals in food packing, textiles and carpets every day, and now scientists have found the chemicals even in newborns.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested nearly 300 umbilical cord blood samples and found that 99 percent of the newborns came into contact with the manmade chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate in the womb.
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All of the tested newborns were exposed to the chemical prior to birth.
Scientists do not know the complete impact of exposure to the chemicals, but studies have shown very high levels of the toxins could cause tumors and developmental toxicity in animals.
The chemicals found in the newborns were at lower levels than most adults in the United States, and much lower levels than those that caused tumors in animals.
All children studied were born at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2004 to 2005.
