Exterior Pollution and the Expectant Mother

October 10, 2007 - From the moment a woman learns she is pregnant, life as she knows it changes forever. In many ways the nine months of pregnancy serve as a prelude for a lifetime of sacrifices that the parents will make for their child. One of the most important, and often overlooked, contributors to the health of a baby is the physical environment. This is because fetal development occurs faster than any other stage of life. As the vital organs of the fetus develop, they are indirectly exposed to the mother's living environment.

Contaminants found in an environment that can lead to developmental deficiencies are called teratogens. Pollutants, such as pesticides, smoke, and vehicle emissions are some of the more common teratogens that expectant mothers come into contact with on a regular basis.

When selecting a home, they should avoid locations near agricultural (non-organic) farming, industrial centers such as oil refineries or coal processing centers, landfills, busy highways, transmission lines or microwave towers. When an expectant mother inhales, consumes, or absorbs environmental teratogens they circulate through her bloodstream and affect the developing fetus.

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