Congenital heart defects in children may be caused by their mothers being exposed to certain environmental contaminants while they are pregnant, according to a new study. Congenital heart defects develop in the fetus when either the heart or blood vessels surrounding the heart don't develop as they should while the child is in the mothers womb. In some cases, defects are the result of abnormal chromosomes, but in most cases the cause remains unknown.

A recent study examined the incidence of congenital heart defects occurring in Alberta, Canada between 2004-2011 in relation to environmental toxins, notably chemical atmospheric emissions recorded over that period by the Canadian government agency responsible for tracking environmental pollutants. The research is part of a long term study that aims to assess whether a pregnant woman's exposure to organic compounds and toxic heavy metals in atmospheric emissions can increase the risk of their children developing heart defects before birth.

“Although still in the early stage, this research suggests some chemical emissions — particularly, industrial air emissions — may be linked to heart abnormalities that develop while the heart is forming in the womb,” said lead researcher Deliwe P. Ngwezi, M.D., a Ph.D., student and research fellow in pediatric cardiology at the University of Alberta in Canada.

The researchers examined three different categories of chemicals, however only one category displayed a positive correlation to the increased incidence of congenital heart defects. The chemicals in this group consist of a mixture of organic compounds and heavy metals, including: benzene, hexachlorobenzene, butadiene, chloroform, carbon disulphide, tetrachloroethane, ethylene oxide, sulphur dioxide, methanol, toluene, cadmium, mercury and lead. In Canada, the incidence of congenital heart defects has decreased gradually since 2006 when the government enforced tighter regulations to reduce industrial air pollutants from being emitted into the atmosphere. According to Ngwezi, “the heart defect decreases were mainly associated with heart defects resulting in holes between the upper and lower heart chambers (septal defects) and malformations of the cardiac outflow tracts (conotruncal defects).”

“For now, consumers and healthcare providers should be educated about the potential toll of pollutants on the developing heart,” she said. “As we have observed in the preliminary results, when the emissions decrease, the rates of congenital heart defects also decrease.” It is hoped that this study will draw attention to the growing evidence linking environmental pollutants with birth defects.

We are exposed to environmental pollutants on a daily basis through the air we breathe, water we drink and food we eat. Air pollutants can be carried great distances before settling on surface water bodies or soils, where they can ultimately make their way into drinking water sources and further impact our health. To reduce your exposure to these pollutants it would be prudent to invest in a good quality water filter, such as a Big Berkey fitted with Black Berkey filter cartridges, which will at least remove these toxins from your the water you drink.