During the crucial early weeks of pregnancy, when fetal cells knit themselves into a brain and organs and fingers and lips, a steady flow of man-made chemicals pulses through the umbilical cord. Scientists once believed that the placenta filtered out most of these pollutants, but now they know that is not the case. Along with nutrients and oxygen, numerous synthetic substances travel to the womb, permeating the fetus’s blood and tissues. This is why, from their very first moments of life, every American newborn carries a slew of synthetic chemicals in their body.
Crucially, many of these chemicals have never been tested for safety. Of those that have, some are known to cause cancer or impede fetal development. Others alter the levels of hormones in the womb, causing subtle changes to a baby’s brain and organs that may not be apparent at birth but can lead to a wide variety of ailments, including cancer, heart disease, infertility, early puberty, reduced IQ, and neurological disorders such as ADHD. How did we end up in this situation, where every child is born pre-polluted? The answer lies in America’s fervor for the synthetic materials that, beginning in the mid-20th century, reshaped our entire society—and in the cunning methods that chemical makers used to ensure their untrammeled spread.
It began in 1934, when the munitions company DuPont was struggling to rescue its reputation. A new blockbuster book,
