Pregnant women should avoid painting the nursery, buying new furniture or going near non-stick Frying Pans. They expose their unborn babies to dangerous chemicals.

New advice to pregnant women says painting the nursery and buying furniture may put their unborn babies at risk from exposure to chemicals.
It warns them to avoid paint fumes, or buying new fabrics, furniture and cars - even non-stick frying pans - while expecting or breastfeeding.

Using fresh food rather than processed food will cut down exposure to chemicals in packaging, says a new report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
And it’s not only the kitchen that is a potential minefield - the dressing table harbours products ranging from cosmetics to perfume that could pose a risk, it says.
Women are advised to ‘minimise’ their use of moisturisers and shower gels and regard the tag of ‘natural’ or ‘herbal’ with suspicion.

Other risks to be avoided are using garden pesticides and fly sprays - and taking painkillers ‘unless necessary’.
The report provides a long list of what pregnant women should not be doing - yet has little evidence that any of it can harm the unborn child.

The RCOG admits pregnant women are surrounded by a complex mixture of hundreds of chemicals in everyday products, most of them unavoidable and low level.
Many are worried about the potential effects on their baby, says the report, so the right approach is ‘safety first’.