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Chapter 2: Problem 9

A teratogen is an environmental agent such as a drug, chemical, virus, or other factor that produces a birth defect. Factors in the mother that may affect the unborn child include diet, age, illnesses, and drug, alcohol, and tobacco use. The behaviors of fathers and others in the environment may also affect the health and development of the unborn child.

Short Answer

Expert verified
A teratogen is an environmental agent that can produce a birth defect. The factors that may affect an unborn child include diet, age, illnesses, drug, alcohol, and tobacco use of the mother, as well as environmental factors such as the behavior of the father and others in the environment.

Step by step solution

01

Definition of Teratogen

A teratogen is any external environmental agent – such as a chemical substance, biological organism, or physical phenomenon – that can cause malformation or functional damage to an embryo or fetus. This includes substances like drugs, chemicals, certain viruses, and other factors.
02

Factors in the mother

There are many factors in a mother's physiology and behavior that can affect the development of her unborn child. These include but are not limited to her diet (essential nutrients are needed for fetal development), her age (younger and older ages may have increased risks), illnesses (especially infectious diseases can harm the fetus), and use of substances such as drugs, alcohol and tobacco (these substances are known teratogens).
03

Environmental factors

The behaviors of other people in the immediate environment, specifically the father, can also affect the health and development of the unborn child. Exposure to secondhand smoke, stress caused by disharmony, or the use of harmful substances could indirectly affect the unborn child.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Describe how genes and chromosomes provide our basic genetic endowment. A child receives 23 chromosomes from each parent. These 46 chromosomes provide the genetic blueprint that will guide cell activity for the rest of the individual's life.

Describe ways in which genes influence the environment. Children may influence their environment through genetic traits that cause them to construct - or influence their parents to construct - an environment that matches their inherited dispositions and preferences.

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