SAFETYNEST SCIENCE VISION
Our vision is simple.
We want every pregnant woman and her family to have easy access to clear,
credible information to keep her pregnancy and her new baby healthy.
Why? We believe that credible guidance on how to reduce exposures to everyday toxic chemicals needs to be a routine part of every woman’s prenatal care.
SafetyNEST Science leverages the most current information necessary to help prevent diseases linked to toxic chemical exposure. We aim to reach across social, cultural and economic sectors to bring relevant, data-driven support to women welcoming new children into their lives. We know that healthy communities start at home, and we support new and expectant mothers in creating toxic-free homes for themselves and their families.
We are awash in chemicals in our daily lives. There are 85,000+ distinct chemicals surrounding us in everything from our bed mattress to our hand lotion. Lead mercury, phthalates, Bisphenol A, flame retardants, Teflon, and pesticides are among the chemicals of concern with widespread exposures.
But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires toxicity testing on a mere 200 of the 85,000+ chemicals. That leaves 99% untested yet present in our environment, our home, clothing and food.
Evidence increasingly shows that exposure to these chemicals, particularly during vulnerable periods of fetal development, can cause problems from preterm birth, birth defects, asthma, diabetes and obesity to a range of cancers. The impact of these problems reaches every level of society, taking its toll on generations of family members.
Many toxic chemicals disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, leaving underserved women more susceptible to adverse impacts and
less likely to have access to evidence-based messaging to reduce exposures. The impacts of chemical exposure can be exacerbated by other factors, including stress, nutritional status, housing quality, and poverty. Immigrant populations may disproportionately work in occupations associated with hazardous workplace environments.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women stated in 2013, “The evidence that links exposure to toxic environmental agents and adverse reproductive and developmental health outcomes is sufficiently robust, and ACOG and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine join leading scientists and other clinical practitioners in calling for timely action to identify and reduce toxic environmental agents while addressing the consequences of such exposure.”
We acknowledge that only 1 in 15 doctors has been trained in toxic chemicals, and only 1 in 5 say they talk to their patients about it. It’s just not top of their list – yet. But, it’s the top of ours. Our goal is to share the most current research with health professionals (obstetricians, gynecologists, nurses, doulas, midwives and community health clinicians) and the women and families these health providers serve – particularly those at highest risk.
It's time to modernize prenatal care for healthier, toxic free babies!
We’ve aligned with the most credible research centers in the United States focused on reproductive environmental health and children’s health, including University of California San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center to accomplish our goals.
Please join us.
