In the 1970s, the pesticide DDT was banned
in the US and many other countries.
Its effects, however, may linger on.
I'm Miranda Savioli with your latest health
news.
Forty years since the ban of the pesticide
DDT, the US Environmental Protection Agency
says it can still be found in the environment.
Now, a new study finds that women with high
concentrations of these pesticides in their
bodies may face a higher risk of heart disease.
In humans, the pesticides can act like the
hormone estrogen, which researchers say can
compromise the protective effect the body’s
natural estrogen has on a premenopausal woman’s
heart health.
The author's lead researcher says doctors
may be able to help women at risk by measuring
their levels of these environmental estrogens.
