Should Doctors Warn Pregnant Women?
Summary:
Many doctors are concerned about how the environment is affecting pregnant women. It seems that only approximately 44% of the physicians nationwide warn against mercury and lead poisoning. However even fewer talk about air pollution, pesticides, gasoline, paints, oils, and BPAs. It appears that many physicians are either uncomfortable to discuss the subject with their patients due to their 'lack' of knowledge or they are afraid of 'unnecessary' stress that it might cause pregnant women. Physicians are working on plans to encourage Ob/Gyn to talk about these issues with their patients as well as spread the word on the true dangers of toxic pollutants. Many pregnant women are exposed to chemicals daily, and many retain about 100 toxins in their body where it can get to the fetus. It appears that there are precautions that can be taken such as avoiding canned foods that contain BPA liners, eating fish low in mercury, and even letting someone else fill up the gas tank. However ignorance of the subject isn't always the issue; sometimes it is the lack of interest of the topic. The different levels of social economic status can affect the way women protect themselves from chemicals. Those that are well off are very aware and even take extra precautions; in contrast those who have less money are so busy trying to make ends meet that it is difficult to consider these issues.
Reflection:
The chemicals that pregnant women are exposed to can easily be transferred to the babies; it is alarming to know that there are newborns with chemicals already in their systems. It reminds me of the babies that are bon addicted to drugs due to the mother's selfish actions; in my opiaion it is beyond cruel to subject another human into such substances. The lack of knowledge of women about the dangers of many chemicals is worrying, however it is unavoidable in a society that have been built on chemicals. Avoiding these toxins is simply a temporary fix to the actual problem; it is important to note that the real problem lies to the fact that there are so many chemicals in the atmosphere. So much of these toxins are present in our everyday life that it will be difficult to name all of the chemicals that we come into contact daily. Also it is understandable that some women find these concerns to be superficial and minimal due to their immediate concerns such as financial security, however it must be stressed that these chemicals can affect the child's neurological performance in their lifetime hence it should be worth learning about.
Many doctors are concerned about how the environment is affecting pregnant women. It seems that only approximately 44% of the physicians nationwide warn against mercury and lead poisoning. However even fewer talk about air pollution, pesticides, gasoline, paints, oils, and BPAs. It appears that many physicians are either uncomfortable to discuss the subject with their patients due to their 'lack' of knowledge or they are afraid of 'unnecessary' stress that it might cause pregnant women. Physicians are working on plans to encourage Ob/Gyn to talk about these issues with their patients as well as spread the word on the true dangers of toxic pollutants. Many pregnant women are exposed to chemicals daily, and many retain about 100 toxins in their body where it can get to the fetus. It appears that there are precautions that can be taken such as avoiding canned foods that contain BPA liners, eating fish low in mercury, and even letting someone else fill up the gas tank. However ignorance of the subject isn't always the issue; sometimes it is the lack of interest of the topic. The different levels of social economic status can affect the way women protect themselves from chemicals. Those that are well off are very aware and even take extra precautions; in contrast those who have less money are so busy trying to make ends meet that it is difficult to consider these issues.
Reflection:
The chemicals that pregnant women are exposed to can easily be transferred to the babies; it is alarming to know that there are newborns with chemicals already in their systems. It reminds me of the babies that are bon addicted to drugs due to the mother's selfish actions; in my opiaion it is beyond cruel to subject another human into such substances. The lack of knowledge of women about the dangers of many chemicals is worrying, however it is unavoidable in a society that have been built on chemicals. Avoiding these toxins is simply a temporary fix to the actual problem; it is important to note that the real problem lies to the fact that there are so many chemicals in the atmosphere. So much of these toxins are present in our everyday life that it will be difficult to name all of the chemicals that we come into contact daily. Also it is understandable that some women find these concerns to be superficial and minimal due to their immediate concerns such as financial security, however it must be stressed that these chemicals can affect the child's neurological performance in their lifetime hence it should be worth learning about.