Why decorating the nursery could put babies at risk

It’s natural for nesting mothers-to-be to want to create a new nursery for their babies, but new research suggests it might be doing more harm than good.

Scientists have found that chemicals used in the laying of new carpet or laminate can make it difficult for newborns to breathe and can even affect babies while they are still in the womb.

Experts at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Germany are so concerned that they have warned women against laying new flooring during pregnancy or in the first year of a child’s life.

As Telegraph.co.uk reports, they claim that around 20,000 babies needed medical treatment for breathing problems each year in a country the size of Germany because of wheezing or breathing difficulties.

Chemicals like styrene and ethylbenzene which are present in the glue used to fix carpet and laminate are particularly toxic when inhaled by youngsters whose lungs are not fully developed.

"We therefore do not recommend that laminate, carpet or floor coverings be laid in the homes of pregnant women,” said lead author Dr Ulrich Franck.

“Although the concentrations of these volatile chemicals are lower if no adhesive is used when installing the flooring, even then the concentrations are still high enough to significantly increase the risk of infants suffering from respiratory complaints in their first few months."

The study also showed that the chemicals trigger an immune response in blood being passed to babies in the womb and could increase the risk of developing allergies.

Dr Irina Lehmann from the UFZ added: “Exposure to these volatile chemical compounds seems to be more critical in pregnancy than in the first year of a child's life.”

They claim there is an even greater risk in children whose mother and father have already suffered from asthma, hay fever or other allergic diseases. They were five times more liklely to need hospital treatment for breathing problems.

The researchers studied 465 mother and child pairs living in Leipzig, Germany. About two-thirds of the families carried out renovations during the pregnancy and more than one in 20 of them additionally replaced the flooring.

Scientists monitored pollution in their homes and environment and carried out regular medical examinations to check breathing ability.

They advised new parents to wait to lay new flooring ‘until well after the birth.’

The research was published in the journal Environment International.

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