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Environmental toxicants and fetal development is the impact of different toxic substances from the environment on the development of the fetus. This article deals with potential adverse effects of environmental toxicants on the prenatal development of both the embryo or fetus, as well as pregnancy complications .
According to the World Health Organization, substance abuse refers to the damaging or risky consumption of psychoactive substances, which includes alcohol and illegal drugs. [66] [67] When pregnant women use psychotropic substances, whether they are prescribed or not, it can have adverse effects on the developing fetus. [66]
Developmental disorders can include a wide range of physical abnormalities, such as bone or organ deformities, or behavioral and learning problems, such as an intellectual disability. Exposures to some chemicals during pregnancy can lead to the development of cancer later in life, called transgenerational carcinogens.
Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE), theorized in the 1970s, occurs when a pregnant woman uses cocaine including crack cocaine and thereby exposes her fetus to the drug.Babies whose mothers used cocaine while pregnant supposedly have increased risk of several different health issues during growth and development and are colloquially known as crack babies.
Drug testing was conducted on the surviving children as well. According to the complaint, a 3-year-old child tested positive for fentanyl, norfentanyl and benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.
This can include low birth weight, reduced head circumference, cognitive deficits, emotional dysregulation, high impulsiveness, and higher risk to develop a substance disorder. [13] It can range from childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. While mixture with other drugs, cannabis can prolong the effects of the additional. [14] [15]
Nicotine negatively affects the prefrontal cortex of the developing brain. Prenatal nicotine exposure can result in long-term adverse effects to the developing brain. [notes 3] [14] Prenatal nicotine exposure has been associated with dysregulation of catecholaminergic, serotonergic, and other neurotransmitter systems. [15]
The use of cocaine by pregnant women is not the only drug that can have a negative effect on the fetus. Tobacco, marijuana, and opiates can also affect an unborn child's cognitive and behavioral development. [185] Smoking tobacco increases pregnancy complications including low birth weight, prematurity, placental abruption, and intrauterine ...