Pregnancy and electric blanket use
July 6, 2007 by admin
Are you concerned about using an electric blanket during pregnancy ? – there are so many things to be vigilant about when pregnant – and the lists of don’ts during pregnancy just keeps on growing longer – there are studies about electric blanket use during pregnancy… - there have been discussions among experts – the bottom line is that electric blankets emit a low electromagnetic field – and many mothers will choose not to expose themselves and their unborn baby to these fields – its a grey area in that researchers can’t define a safe electromagnetic field level during pregnancy and you are better not using an electric blanket for your peace of mind if nothing else…
The National Institutes of health issued a news release which addresses the concern of electric blanket use during pregnancy:
Following is an exerpt:
“Maternal exposure:
Overall, there was little evidence for any association between appliances used during pregnancy and the risk of childhood ALL. No significant association was found with the mothers time spent watching TV or distance from TV during pregnancy. Childhood ALL was also not associated with use of water beds, hair dryers, curling irons, electric clocks, microwave ovens, ceiling fans, sound systems with headsets, electric stoves, electric heat or air conditioning during pregnancy. Mothers of ALL cases were less likely to report having used a sewing machine during pregnancy. Sewing machines have been found to have rather high magnetic field exposures.
Mothers of ALL cases were slightly more likely to report having ever used electric blankets or mattress pads, heating pads, and humidifiers during pregnancy. However, these associations did not strengthen with increasing use of any of these appliances. For example, the relationship between childhood ALL and maternal electric blanket use was the same whether mothers reported that they used electric blankets less than once a week or more than six hours per day for more than two months during their pregnancy.
Mothers’ patterns of use of electrical appliances during their pregnancy were the same in each trimester, with the exception of electric blankets and heating pads. For heating pads, an association was found for use by the mother only in the first trimester of pregnancy, whereas for electric blankets, an association was found only for use by the mother in the second and third trimesters. ”
For the full release visit http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr98/nci-20a.htm