Pregnant? Avoid Everyday Toxins & Chemicals

An Interview with Alexandra Zissu, co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy

By Larissa Phillips

No sushi, no hair dye, no extreme sports.

Most expectant moms know by now that pregnancy is a time to watch what they eat, breathe and do. But more and more, researchers are discovering that babies in utero are vulnerable to the everyday chemicals in our lives.

How's this for scary: In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 U.S. babies born in August and September of 2004.

Before you throw in the towel and just hope for the best, consider taking a look at The Complete Organic Pregnancy, by Alexandra Zissu and Deirdre Dolan. This thoroughly researched book takes a hard look at what it means to be pregnant in our modern world and offers advice for creating the safest pregnancy possible. Surprisingly upbeat and encouraging, the authors (who are also moms) calmly offer useful tips and enough scientific facts to convince even the most skeptical of husbands. We recently discussed how to have a safer pregnancy with co-author Alexandra Zissu.

Your book, The Complete Organic Pregnancy, presents some pretty alarming information about the toxins in our lives. It sounds like there is more to it than just eating organic foods.

Chemicals are under the kitchen sink, they're hiding in the mattress you spend a third of your life on, and they're in most of the shampoos and cosmetics you always assumed were safe. Essentially, it's about avoiding toxins, which is pretty easy once you identify them.

Is it really that bad out there? Women have been giving birth for millions of years before the organic movement came along. Why all the concern all of a sudden?

What's been going on for millions of years isn't what concerns us. It's the last fifty years and the 80,000 man-made chemicals that have been introduced in that time that freaks us out. Science has outpaced us, and the problem is that the health effects of only 5 percent of those new chemicals have been tested. Vegetables

So, we may not even know what's out there?

Our moms grew up inhaling DDT and Deirdre and I both (most likely) grew up in houses with lead paint. Having an organic pregnancy is a way of trying to avoid or at least limit exposure to whatever the next DDT or lead paint might turn out to be. It's defensive driving with your body.