Non-stick pans can affect your baby’s weight

Moms are cautious about the food their family eats and try to prevent their exposure to chemicals of any kind.

But there is one household item that might be overlooked by pregnant moms.  

New research has found that the chemicals found in non-stick pans, and water resistant fabrics, could have an effect on a baby’s birth weight.

Researchers at Australia’s Edith Cowan University discovered that prenatal exposure to Perfluoroalkyl substances, which are used to manufacture pans, can lead to a higher or smaller birth weight.

The presence of Perfluoroalkyl substances like PFAAs Perfluorohexane sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoic acid in a pregnant woman’s blood has previously been linked to lower birth weights in babies.

But the university has found that related PFAA chemical Perfluoroundecanoic acid has been linked to higher birth weights as well.

Dr Anna Callan, the study’s lead researcher, says a lower or higher birth weight could increase a child’s risk of developing a chronic illness when they are older.

“For example, higher birth weights have been linked with an increased risk of childhood obesity. This research emphasises the importance of us really understanding the effects that chemicals used in industrial processes have on us and our children. This is particularly important because many of these chemicals can persist in the environment and in our bodies for decades after their use has been stopped,” she said on the university’s website.