Household Hazards During
Pregnancy: How to Protect
Your Unborn Baby

By P. Christine Smith

Peta Flores, a 23-year-old resident of San Diego, Calif. who is seven months pregnant, was recently using bleach to disinfect her kitchen counters. "I turned away for a moment and my 15-month-old son, Jackson, tried to reach up to the counter to grab the bleach. In my rush to save him, I ended up spilling the bleach all over myself," Flores says. After nudging her son to safe territory, Flores stripped off her clothes, right there in the kitchen, and immediately noticed that the skin on her thigh was reddened from contact with the bleach.

"I was really concerned that the bleach would be absorbed through my skin and somehow affect the baby," Flores says. "I called my doctor's office and asked them about it. Luckily, they told me that I had no reason to be concerned."

Certainly pregnant women need to take precautions when presented with situations and products routinely found in every household. Using proper procedures, expectant moms can minimize or eliminate exposing themselves and their unborn children to dangers, the effects of which are sometimes unknown or undocumented.

Just what are the general rules as far as household hazards are concerned? "I think the overall view is that little information is available about most household solvents and so prolonged (for example) occupational exposure is probably best avoided, but intermittent, protected exposure is probably OK," according to Thomas R. Moore, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Reproductive Medicine with the School of Medicine at University of California San Diego (UCSD).

Dr. Moore explains that no typical household chemicals are recognized teratogens. Simply put, a teratogen is an agent, either chemical or biological, that causes malformation of a fetus. "So that means they probably will not cause birth defects," Dr. Moore says.

Dr. Moore adds that it has not been determined whether chronic exposure of pregnant women to such agents has a long-term neurological effect on babies and children, "but there is no data I am aware of showing clearly they are dangerous." However, the rule of thumb is to limit exposure to such chemicals, such as a change in work environment for pregnant women who use such chemicals on the job, and to use the protection of rubber gloves and a well-ventilated room when using such products at home.

In addition, pregnant women should allow someone else to paint the nursery. According to Dr. Moore, "Newer water-based paints are theoretically safer. They should be applied ideally by someone other than the pregnant person and the house should be well-ventilated." If the expectant mom must paint the room, Dr. Moore advises to keep the room well-ventilated.

The stripping of old paint should be performed by someone other than the expectant mom, due to the possibility of older paints containing lead. Homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint, and one way people can get lead into their bodies is through breathing in lead dust during renovations that disturb painted surfaces. According to information released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead exposure can harm babies even before they are born, resulting in damage to the brain and nervous system.

Cat owners beware. Toxoplasmosis is another household concern, according to Dr. Moore. Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a protozoan, a single cell or group of identical cells, living as parasites within animals. "The most common means of transmission is by fomites (aerosolized feces).and outside cats are a common vector," Dr. Moore warns. Therefore, women "probably should not change the cat (litter) box during pregnancy." Toxoplasmosis, when contracted by the fetus, damages the central nervous system, eyes and the internal organs. In the United States, toxoplasmosis is more commonly found in the east and the south than in the western part of the country.

Michelle Hronek of Copperas Cove, Texas is the mother of four, with another baby on the way. Since her active-duty Army husband is sometimes not at home to change the cat litter box, Michelle had to find the safest way to complete the chore herself. "I checked with my doctor," Michelle says. "The advice was to use rubber gloves and change the cat box outside, so that there is good air flow to avoid breathing in the fumes."

The biggest at-home risk to pregnant women is falling, according to Dr. Moore. "Women should be careful about their footing, especially at night and in the winter," he said. The increased weight in the front of the body can easily make a pregnant woman off-balance, therefore care should be taken to avoid falling from high places, such as off a stepladder, and tripping over items in the dark, or slipping on an icy sidewalk. A good policy is to let someone else retrieve items stored high in cabinets, keep the home environment well-lit and avoid walking in any area that can present the possibility of tripping or slipping.

It is often said that having a child is a life-altering event. Clearly children bring about small changes in our lives before they are even born! With a bit of professional advice and some common sense, an expectant mom can easily make a few small changes in her household routine that go a long way in protecting the health and welfare of her unborn child.

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About the Author: Freelance writer P. Christine Smith regularly writes for Web and print publications dedicated to military families. She lives in San Diego, Calif. with her husband, Trent, and their children, Brandi and Christopher.