Exposure to chemical dyes found in textiles increases the risk of gestational diabetes, especially among pregnant women carrying male fetuses, according to researchers at UC San Francisco. The study is also one of the first to find that racial discrimination increases risk of gestational diabetes.
People can be exposed to aromatic amines, which are found in clothing, cosmetics, pesticides, and plastics, in a variety of ways: through air, food, water, cigarette smoke, household dust, or by using products that contain plastic, dyes and pigments (including tattoos).
“These chemicals are widespread, harmful to health, and yet not routinely monitored in the United States. That’s a problem,” said Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine who directs the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and is the senior author of the study published June 30, 2025, in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
Five aromatic amines were detected in most study participants, pregnant women who are part of the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Stress, including racial discrimination, was assessed via self-reported questionnaires.
“Interestingly, we found that high levels of stress and discrimination, as well as high concentrations of some aromatic amines, were associated with gestational diabetes among pregnant women,” said Emily Lasher, lead author and a science associate at PRHE. “Given rising rates of glucose intolerance during pregnancy, identifying risk factors for gestational diabetes is critical to protect the health of mothers and children.”
The ~600 women tested were all in their second trimester of pregnancy in the San Francisco area.
Title: Prenatal Melamine, Aromatic Amine, and Psychosocial Stress Exposures and Their Association with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in a San Francisco Pregnancy Cohort
Authors: Emily Lasher, UCSF; Jessica Trowbridge, UCSF; Alison Gemmill, Johns Hopkins University; Rachel Morello-Frosch, UC Berkeley; Erin DeMicco, UCSF; Kurunthachalam Kannan, New York State Department of Health; Jessie P. Buckley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Tracey J. Woodruff, UCSF
The research was supported by the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the NIH.
You must be logged in to post a comment.