The results of a new Spanish study show that the more chemical exposure a mother has during pregnancy, the more likely her child will be obese after birth. Spanish researchers selected 403 children born on the island of Menorca to measure the amount of a pesticide called “hexachlorobenzene” in their umbilical cords to determine how much hexachlorobenzene they had been exposed to before birth. The researchers found that children with higher levels of HCB in their umbilical cords were twice as likely to be obese by the time they reached 6 1/2 years of age. The findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. This is the first study on the relationship between chemical contamination in the womb and the phenomenon of obesity. The British newspaper The Independent commented on September 7 that this shows that obesity is not only related to personal habits such as diet and exercise, but also has some connection with environmental pollution. The results of this study may affect the development of future public policy. Hexachlorobenzene, which was used in the past to control black crop disease in wheat and to disinfect seeds and soil, has been banned globally. However, researchers believe that this substance is difficult to break down in the soil in the short term. Exposure to multiple The significance of this study is not to prove that obesity is linked to one chemical, but rather to show that obesity may be linked to multiple chemicals. The authors of the study call for human exposure to pesticides such as hexachlorobenzene to be minimized. Experiments have proven that feeding some chemicals to pregnant animals can make their offspring obese. These chemicals include organotin, which is common in boat bottom antifouling paint and fish, bisphenol A, which is used in the manufacture of baby bottles and canning jars, and phthalates, which are contained in cosmetics, shampoo and plastic food packaging bags. These chemicals are so common in everyday products that they are found in almost every human body. Data show that 95 percent of Americans have BPA in their urine at night, and 90 percent of fetuses are exposed to phthalates in the mother’s womb. Every umbilical cord experimentally analyzed by Spanish researchers contained hexachlorobenzene or a similar pesticide. First determined Two U.S. studies had linked phthalates to the development of obesity in adult men. The Spanish scientists’ study was more conclusive, pointing out for the first time the future impact of chemical exposure in pregnant women on their children. U.S. environmental health expert Pete Myers said in an interview on the 6th: “This study is important. It is the first study on the effects of chemicals on the fetus. The conclusion is not surprising based on the data we got from animal studies, but it definitely links the chemical to the obesity problem.” There is no scientific explanation yet for why HCB causes obesity. Spanish scientists speculate that HCB predisposes pregnant women to diabetes, which would increase the risk of obesity in their children. Myers believes that possibility exists, but he offers an alternative explanation based on the results of animal studies that the chemical turns genes on and off in the womb, causing changes in stem cells that result in children growing up to store and accumulate fat more easily.