Working Women’s Bodies Besieged by Environmental Injustice

Going through the internet some-days ago doing research on environmental injustice/racism, i came along allot of interesting articles but the only article which was able to grab my heart and "make it bleed", was an article over a year old which talked about a research from the the National Birth Defects Prevention Study,  which shows that working pregnant women who are exposed on the job to toxins known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are more likely to have children with gastroschisis, a rare birth defect in which the intestines stick out from the baby's body, which generally requires surgical repair.
According to the reading, PAH’s were described to be ubiquitous byproduct of our everyday combustible materials such as oil and coal. Therefore meaning this product was also found in homes. According to the article, some studies have linked the contamination that are caused when burned and churned into the atmosphere with various health problems which are capable of shaping the entire upbringing of a kid ranging from developmental disabilities to child obesity
(www.commondreams.org/view/2012/06/10).
There are claims that the researchers also noted that “assessing workplace exposure to PAHs is important because ‘more than 95 percent of employed women in the United States remain employed during pregnancy’ and ‘an increasing number of women are being exposed in their jobs to chemicals that can harm the fetus.’” The researchers especially noted exposures among women working as “cashiers in fast food restaurants.” This might have just concentrated only on the united states, but this is also true for other countries especially 3rd world countries where women are not only required to work under such conditions during the course of their pregnancies, but also after child birth with this children being exposed to all this toxins which not just posse a danger right now, but also on the long run through future generations who are been passed with infected/corrupt genes.
More readings on PAH and effects can be found on the links below:
https://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/06/10
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1551985/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15767354
K.M-J