Pregnant women at cancer risk from dishware, hair colouring, plastics. Know what to avoid

Pregnant women who are exposed to chemicals like melamine, cyanuric acid, and aromatic amines can have increased risk of cancer, says a new study. Melamine is found in dishware, plastics, flooring, kitchen counters, and pesticides; cyanuric acid is used as a disinfectant, plastic stabiliser, and cleaning solvent in swimming pools; aromatic amines are found in hair dye, mascara, tattoo ink, paint, tobacco smoke, and diesel exhaust. Read: Poor diabetes control, sedentary lifestyle key causes of heart attacks People can be exposed to melamine and aromatic amines in a variety of ways -- through the air they breathe, by eating contaminated food or ingesting household dust, as well as from drinking water or by using products that contain plastic, dyes, and pigments. Melamine and its major byproduct, cyanuric acid, are each high-production chemicals that exceed 100 million pounds per year in this country alone.