UCSF program funded by San Francisco grant reported reduced exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals among pregnant patients

The San Francisco Environment Department awarded approximately $50,000 to the University of California, San Francisco, to fund a pilot that educated pregnant people and new parents on reducing exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, UCSF and its public-health partner told the Commission on the Environment.

The pilot targeted pregnant people served by UCSF clinics and aimed to combine short education sessions with distribution of sample product kits and an affordable buyerspathway for safer alternatives. Department staff said the grant came from a 2022 pollution-prevention request for proposals with $75,000 allocated for community-based projects.

The project team told commissioners the program enrolled about 160 people, with 104 completions, and exceeded its goal for participation from the city zip codes, reaching 45% from the top 30% of San Francisco environmental-justice burden ZIP codes (the project target was 30%).

Sandra Curtis, principal investigator with the Public Health Institute, said the program focused on exposures from food, food preparation and storage, which the presenters identified as the primary pathway for many endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Curtis said the program coupled a short informational session (in-person or a recorded video) with a kit of sample products and a buyerspathway to lower-cost safer options.

Katie Zhang of UCSFOffice of Sustainability described the kit contents: glass mason-jar-based baby-bottle options, caps to adapt mason jars for feeding, beeswax wraps, stainless-steel food containers and a reusable water bottle. The team also provided a discounted membership and shopping pathway through Thrive Market to help participants buy safer products affordably; presenters noted Thrive Market had added SNAP acceptance for online purchases during the program period.

Presenters said pre- and post-surveys showed statistically significant increases in participantsknowledge and intended behaviors. According to the project team, participants reported reduced purchases of single-use plastic water bottles and greater confidence in sharing the information with friends and family.

The team identified outreach and logistics as challenges: recruitment took longer than expected, some participants picked up kits but did not complete follow-up surveys, and staff turnover at UCSF temporarily constrained follow-up activities. The presenters recommended in-person outreach opportunities where a recorded session and kits can be handed out at community gatherings, and adding a small end-of-study incentive to improve survey completion.

Commissioners asked about scaling and strategic partnerships; the team said they are pursuing additional grants and partnerships with community organizations that run pregnancy-support groups in Bayview-Hunters Point and other neighborhoods. The presenters also said future work would emphasize training community accountability boards and clinic staff to be local experts who can continue outreach without heavy central staffing.

The Commission received no public speakers on this item.