Submitted to: Mrs.Gordon
Submitted by: Krista Arnold
 

"I'm sorry madam, but there is nothing we can do now.  Your unborn child was exposed to a harmful toxin called polybromenated biphehyls (PBBS), and is suffering from malformations of multiple body systems."

Teratogens, an agent that causes fetal malformations during the first three months of pregnancy.  Various agents, ranging from viruses to toxic chemicals, are known to influence the growth and development of the developing fetus.  An example of these agents are microorganisms. (Gene 1).  People living in fifteenth and sixteenth century Europe believed that evil demons and witches waved magic wands and worked hocus-pocus to create abnormal human babies.  Both mother and infant were sentenced to death when a misshapen baby was born. (Thalidomide I).  Today this story seems blasphemy to us and to medical researchers.  The truth about teratogens is known by many people, but not all are informed about this critical happening to unborn infants.  Pregnant women need to be aware of what harmful teratogens surround them.  In their home, car, work area.  But what is being done already and what's not being done about this problem?  Many groups have been set up to help and protect unborn babies. (BDPLC 1).  My question is, are teratogens as harmful as they seem?

Modem teratology, the study of both defects, began in the 1940's shortly after World War II, when a few scientists speculated that exposure to radioactive fallout from bombs could affect fetal growth and development. Then, in the early 1960's scientists learned from the Thalidomide babies that a drug that had little or no effect on the mother could damage a baby.  In the case of Thalidomide, even if the mother took the drug just once the baby could suffer horrible consequences. (Thalidomide 1).

What are teratogens?  Any environmental agent that produces or increases the likelihood of fetal harm is termed a teratogen." Such agents include microorganisms, substances, or maternal conditions capable of disrupting the fertilized ovum, embryo, or fetus.  The precise way in which environmental exposures cause disability in a fetus are not fully understood, they are believed to act on a cellular level.  Teratogens may cause cell death in certain tissues, for example, leading to altered development, or they may interfere with cellular differentiation, causing disorganization at the molecular level.  Some known teratogens are: I.Infectious Agents- Rubella (other wise known as German Measles, causes deafness and microephaly), Cytomegalovirus (Causes hearing loss), Certain Vital conditions (such as the AIDS virus), Syphilis and Toxoplasmosis. 2. herapeutics- Thalidomide (causes face and limb deformities), Aminopterin/Paradione, Tetracycline (damage to osseous and developing dental tissue) and x-rays. 3. Maternal Conditions- AIDS, Phenyiketonuria, and Diabetes Mellitus. 4. Illicit Drugs- Alcohol, crack, LSD, PCP, and Mescaline (Gene 1-3).

There are outrageous results that come from the exposure of teratogens.  Being exposed to mercury, a fetus can encounter growth deficiency, blindness, deafness, and poor muscle tone.  When polybrominated biphehyls (PBBS) were accidentally substituted for a food supplement in feed for livestock, cows, chickens, and sheep suffered severe wasting disease, abortions, and deformed offspring- calves born with holes in their heads; lambs with no hind legs and deformed faces (Immunotoxins 2) .. If such malformations can happen in animals being exposed to PBBS, then what could happen to unborn human babies?

Second-Hand smoke is a big concern for pregnant women.  It poses a much greater risk to the pregnancies of non-smoking women over 30 than does for younger women.  Given the proportions of older women giving birth and adult exposure to ETS ( environmental tobacco smoke), it is possible that upwards of 30,000 pregnancies among non-smokers could be affected by ETS exposure, which has implementations for the family and for the child's long- term growth and development.  A study found that non-smoking women older that 30 who lived with smoker had a much greater chance of delivering a premature or underweight baby than did non-smokers of the same age group who lived in a smoke-free home.  Babies born to the older non-smoking women who were exposed to second-hand smoke weighed 90 grams (3.15 ounces) less on average at birth than babies born in smoke-free homes.  The study said factors behind the increased risk for older women could include the affect of airborne tobacco smoke on their placentas, which often work less efficiently than those of younger women ( Second-hand 1).

At least 8,000 babies die directly from birth defects each year between birth and one year.  The hundreds of thousands who die before birth are largely ignored, and event hose that die after birth receive little attention in the sense of government spending for prevention ( Birth 1).  Babies need to be protected because they are at risk everyday of their lives.

If you really want to help prevent birth defects remind women that the most vulnerable time is 4 to 12 weeks, and during that time, they want to avoid anything that smells or tastes bad.  A woman tells of a mistake that she made: " I make a gross mistake and used an anti-dandruff shampoo for a couple of months, not realizing that coal-tar is apparently a carcinogen and definitely wreaked havoc on my liver.  I'm still trying to detox for that." (Teratogens 1).

Drugs, radiation, viruses, and alcohol can all be teratogens.  They induce physical abnormalities in developing embryos and fetuses. Bottles wine and beer carry warning labels indicating that alcohol can lead to birth defects.  The labels are meant to discourage women from drinking during their pregnancies ( Thalidomide 1).  These labels are there to protect you, so don't ignore them, do it for your baby's sake.
 What is being done already; what's not being done? . Groups such as the March of Dimes work endlessly to convince the government to spend the needed funds on research and on implementation strategies.  Much more money is spent by the government on the Bosnian Peacekeeping force than the amounts that are asked for prevention of birth defects, which would be spending that would drastically diminish the incidence of birth defects (BDPLC 1).  The more research is done now the more babies will be saved in the future.  The more time that passes and nothing is done about helping babies with defects, the more money the government and families are spending.  Why not find away to prevent it now?

It is perfectly fine for a woman to become pregnant these days just as long as she takes certain precautions and reads carefully the label on what she is using. Wearing rubber gloves while cleaning, and not mixing cleaners is the first step in preventing birth defects in your unborn child.

Teratogen information services are a relatively new offering available through genetic centers and hospitals throughout the country.  The purpose of these information services is to give callers the best available information to date on any know environmental offender (Gene 3).

Teratogens, are things which cause defects in babies before birth.  Contrary to some folklore, most of these defects are not just genetic abnormalities.  Instead there is a factor referred to as "environmental" in most of these defects.  Babies can be saved by mothers and fathers learning what these things are and implementing prevention.  True, the majority of these are what are generally referred to as "miscarriages," many of which are not even recognized by the mother as such ( Birth 1). But these are all potential persons, who are being denied a chance at life. Most die before birth than are actually boom.

Bibliography

1.  Birth Defects Prevention Legislation Committee, "What is being done already; what's not being   done?" Oxford, Alabama, the Tighe group. 1997, 1998.

2.  Birth Defects Prevention Legislation Committee, "Teratogens cause
 1,000,000 Pregnancy Terminations." Oxford, Alabama, the
Tighe group. 1997, 1998.
 
 

3.  Blatt, Robin JR.  The Gene Letter.  Volume 1, Issue 3, November
1996.
 
 

4.  Mekdeci, Betty.  Immotoxins as Teratogens.
 
 

5. Second-Hand smoke and Pregnancy.
 
 

6. Teratogens in our everyday environment.
 
 

7. Thalidomide/ Teratogens.