The Effects Of Chemical Exposure On Women And Children

Before reading this essay, I had the mindset that doing cocaine or smoking marijuana is the worst substance for a fetus. However, in reality, nicotine and caffeine are actually worse. This is a misconception amongst society as a whole. With that being said, society has created “common norms” that put restrictions on what women who are pregnant can do while carrying. I will admit that I myself have given women dirty looks if I see them drinking a glass of wine. In reality, doctors say refrain from binge or heavy drinking.

Whilst the mother is pregnant if the baby is exposed to toxic chemicals, foods of a certain kind, or also stress from the mother then this can permanently change the cognitive development. Infancy is one of the main times when the child begins to develop their intellectuality so this means that if any of the above have been exposed to much to the baby, when they are going through infancy they may struggle with their cognitive development. Those mothers that smoke, eat unhealthy foods or go through stress or trauma whilst they are pregnant usually notice a risk of delayed cognitive development when the child is an infant. On the other hand if the mother doesn’t smoke, eats healthy and remains stress and trauma free whilst going through the pregnancy, the infants cognitive development is usually normal.

During pregnancy that are existing factors that can affect the development of the foetus and that can bring health and other problems when the child is born, which the child can carry for the rest of her/his life, these

As a child is developing in the womb, its development can be affected at this time, for instance if the mother smokes or uses drugs or excessive

The childhood development of the individual followed the normal development patterns that are expected. In the childhood stage the individual development changed rapidly and their ability to be active and learn new skills improves on a daily basis. During childhood a child will grow steadier compared to an infant. A child’s body and organs size grows at a steady pace. By the age of 6 a child’s head will be 90% of a full adult size even though the rest of a child’s body has a lot more to grow and to develop. Until a child reaches late childhood, and entering adolescence, an individual’s reproductive organs are still not fully developed. Infants and children can suffer from delayed development. This could cause potential effects

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development was chosen as the course for developmental assessment. The study found that nutritional supplements have a possibility of preventing and lessening the damage of PAE in the early stages of pregnancy, known as the pre-recognition period. However, many problems with development were identified later, but were impossible to measure at six months old. This has shown that there might be a possibility to reduce the damage of alcohol on a fetus, it is best to refrain from drinking altogether.

A baby’s genes are determined at conception. If something is faulty at this stage, this can have a huge impact on the child’s development. This may be physical or intellectual. If a mother takes drugs or smokes when pregnant, there is an increased chance of delivering an underweight baby at birth. It can also lead to cognitive problems for the child as they get older.

When the fetus is exposed to the teratogens during the prenatal stage, then, in that case, there are significantly high chances that the child will suffer from birth defects (4). There are different factors which are related to the level of exposures to the teratogens; amount of damage that a particular teratogen can have along with the level of dosages, heredity, age of the teratogen and the different other negative influences like that of the combination of teratogens with poor health etc. (1). There are different types of teratogens which pregnant women are advised to avoid like alcohol, prescription drugs/illegal drugs and tobacco. Alcohol use is one of the most use and major problem throughout pregnancy (4). Although it hasn’t been determined how much alcohol is detrimental to pregnant women, it has been found to be one of the major cause of mental disabilities in children in the United States (4). Alcohol usually passes from the mother’s blood stream via the placenta to the fetus. Indeed, maternal drinking is tied to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) with life-long consequences for the new born (1). The research suggests that alcohol exposure to the 19th or 20th of gestation can significantly exposed the new born to facial abnormalities (1). It is unknown how much alcohol is necessary to cause damage, so doctors typically recommend that alcohol should be completely avoided during

Women around world, especially pregnant women, are highly exposed to environmental contaminants by eating foods as well. Though, many pregnant women are not aware of high toxin levels present in food they eat and how much their infants are exposed through trans-placental and breast milk transmission from the mother. The article Dozens of Words for Snow, None for Pollution, by Maria Cone, talks about how pregnant women in Artic are at

The growth of a fetus is directly related to the nutrients and oxygen given by the mother. However, a mother’s diet in pregnancy alone has little effect on the baby’s birth size but does significantly impact the child’s life. The mother’s ability to nourish her baby is created during her own fetal life and is impacted by her nutrition in childhood. The fetal supply line is what affects the baby’s growth.

If the pollutants are altering body cells certain parts of the body may not grow properly and more fat would be produced where it doesn’t belong. When these “…chemicals [are present] in the mom’s blood, such as DDE (a by product of the now widely banned pesticide DDT, which lingers in the environment decades later, and is still found in small amounts in many foods such as meat, dairy, and fish)” can alter the development of the fetus and cause problems later in life (1). The children of whom mothers’ had this chemical in their blood while pregnant are even more at risk for obesity without even having bad eating habits. Equally important are the affects it has on children's health and learning.

In 2002, a case-control study was started in Brittanny, France. The candidates were women who were well into their second trimester (Douglas). Out of this study, they concluded that 79 out of the 580 babies were born with birth defects (Douglas). The mothers were questioned about their home lives and their hobbies, along with their occupation. Twenty-nine percent of the women were found to be exposed to these solvents based on the products they use in their home while twenty-one percent of women were exposed to harmful products through their profession (Douglas). “Women who reported regular exposure to solvents were four times more likely to have a baby with an oral cleft as compared to women who did not report regular exposure. Using job

Many scientific researchers have said that our environment has been filled with toxic chemicals, which us humans have had a part of. There are many different issues that should concern us surrounding these toxic chemicals. The major concern is that many of these toxic chemicals have been claimed to be causing damage to the health of humans and even other life forms. Another concern is that most of the theses toxic chemicals have just recently been produced; and by our environment changing everyday there is no telling what effects these toxic chemicals may have in the long run on the public 's health. Just about all of these toxic chemicals exist in the way they do because of humans. As humans we practice a lot of different activities that cause toxic chemicals to pollute our environment such as, agriculture, industrial, and many domestic activities as well. Many of the toxic chemicals that we produce and use don 't get used in a effective way, which causes them to be wasted, left abandoned, and disposed of. When toxic chemicals are not disposed of properly they effect the environment and the public 's health in a negative way.

pollution. They have a illness from heart, lung disease, stroke, and cancer from air pollution. Some people didn’t use help illness people from air pollution because there is some danger like cancer or a stroke. (Krans, pg 1) However, pregnant women with a baby is in danger from air pollution because it would affect them with a chance of birth defects. Pregnant women have been breathing air pollution from machines or smoking with a

From taking this class, I have gained significant understanding of biological determinants of women’s health. Learning about the number of unique biological risks women face is important to understand for me because I am a woman and this risks are likely to pertain to me as well. One of topic of biological aspect of women’s health we covered in class were risks factors associated with pregnancy, its complication and pregnancy itself. Understanding about maternal death and number of causes such as hemorrhage, sepsis, hypertensive, and abortion