What Causes Birth Defects?
1 out of every 33 babies is born with a birth defect. Toxic exposure is one of the major causes of birth defects in children.
TOXIC EXPOSURE HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON COMES INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH A CHEMICAL — either by touching, ingesting it or by breathing in the chemical. People who work in certain industries and in certain areas are more likely to come in contact with toxic chemicals — and to have children who suffer from birth defects.
Toxic chemicals that are easily inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin have very harmful reproductive consequences for workers in industries such as semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, and for farming and agricultural workers. Exposure to toxic chemicals on the job in these industries cause reproductive harm to both men and women, damaging their DNA. The parents’ damaged DNA is then passed onto their children in the form of birth defects.
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Talk to a Lawyer NowToxic Substances linked to Birth Defects
WHEN VICTIMS WONDER WHAT CAUSES BIRTH DEFECTS, THEY OFTEN WANT TO KNOW WHAT TOXIC CHEMICALS ARE LINKED TO THESE CONDITIONS. There are over 650,000 hazardous chemicals used in U.S. workplaces, and many of them are known to be directly linked to causing birth defects. They are used in technology and semiconductor manufacturing, agriculture and farming, energy production, and other manufacturing industries. Victims can even suffer toxic exposure in their own homes, as the heavy metals from coal ash dumping grounds spread into the air, ground and water in their communities.
Could my job site or community put me at high risk of having a child with birth defects?
It could be. The list of places where people could be exposed to these chemicals is very long, and grows longer every day as companies fail to protect their workers from toxic exposure. Many technology and semiconductor manufacturing companies have factories with clean rooms that expose workers every day to harmful toxins. Across the country, workers in agriculture, on farms and in nurseries are exposed to many pesticides and other chemicals. People working in automobile, plastics, and paint manufacturing use harmful chemicals without proper protection, too. Even workers in power plants and energy production aren’t safe — they are exposed to heavy metals and chemicals linked to birth defects, too.
What jobs are at risk of having children born with birth defects?
The list of jobs and industries that puts workers in danger is long. These jobs range from farmworkers to clean room technicians, to power plant workers and to pesticide applicators. Given how many workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals everyday, it would be impossible to put together a comprehensive list of job titles that could be at risk of toxic exposure. But our team of birth defects lawyers put together a long list of some of the jobs that are most at risk of toxic exposure that could lead to having children with birth defects.