Mom’s exposure to solvents hurts children later

Children of mothers exposed to organic solvents during their pregnancies had lower scores on certain tests of language, behavior, and cognitive functioning, according to a new study. Organic solvents are some of the most common sources of workplace chemical exposure reported by pregnant women. Organic solvents are used in dry cleaning, manufacturing, jobs involving paints and plastic adhesives, nail salons and medical laboratories, and in many other industries. Organic solvents are toxic and can harm the central nervous system. There are also reports of women who abused organic solvents during pregnancy (“sniffers”) delivering infants with developmental delay or birth defects.