Overview

More and more research suggests that exposure to substances such as lead, mercury, and air and water pollutants have negative effects on development. Here, we will focus on the many ways that developing embryos and fetuses are exposed to potential harm and ways to reduce such exposure.

Part 1:

Create one substantial response (aim for around 300 words) in which you answer each of the following:
What interest does society have in minimizing the harmful substances a pregnant person is exposed to?
Is it feasible and/or necessary to ask a pregnant person to change their behaviors (e.g., stop drinking alcohol, move to a location with fewer pollutants) in order to protect their developing embryo/fetus from possible harm?
If you’re stuck: Think about teratogens and the timeline over which teratogens have the greatest effect.
Identify one potential barrier to reducing pregnant people’s exposure to harmful substances.
To view a rubric: Click the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the discussion page, and select “Show Rubric.”
Make sure that you are clearly including a reference (and in-text citation) to our course materials. Please see the course Quick Guide to APA formatting for help with APA 7 formatting.

Part 2:

Reply to the posts of two different classmates. Try to reply to people who haven’t received a reply yet!
Aim for around 100 words–this is the level of depth we’re looking for.
Not sure how to respond? Suggest a solution to reduce the barrier a classmate identified. Or find a solution already in place! What kind of interventions are being used to minimize pregnant people’s exposure to certain harmful substances?

POINTS

Discussion assignments are worth 20 points each. Your initial response is worth 10 points and each of the two replies to other students are worth 5 points each. Please refer to the Syllabus or Discussion Information page for tips on how to be successful with discussion assignments.

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