Birth Defects Caused By Parents’ Exposure To Toxic Substances In The Workplace

At Weinstein Caggiano PLLC, we represent and advocate for the rights of families and babies with birth defects and other damages that have resulted from exposure to toxic substances or medication. Unfortunately, many individuals are unaware that they were exposed to highly toxic chemical substances and don’t realize the damage that was done until after the births of their children.

Exposure To Toxic Chemicals Used In Semiconductor Fabrication Can Lead To Lasting Fetal Damage

Substances that could potentially cause birth defects are teratogenic. The high-tech industry uses industrial solvents such as ethylene glycol ethers (EGE) to manufacture semiconductors. Exposure to these substances may lead to severe birth defects involving developmental delays in or premature deaths of the children of exposed workers. Health nurses also face exposure to EGE as part of an occupational hazard.

Other birth defects linked to the exposure of semiconductor solvents include:

• Physical damage, like skeletal abnormalities, deformed or missing organs, damaged limbs (shortened or missing) and muscular dystrophy
• Delays in developmental milestones, brain damage or mental disabilities
• Cognitive damage, including impairment or blindness

Our lawyers assert the rights of babies who have congenital disorders as results of their parents’ exposure to toxic chemical substances. This exposure can negatively alter DNA passed on from affected parents to their babies, and such alterations can compromise children’s physical, developmental or intellectual abilities.

How Can Parents’ Exposure Hurt Their Children?

The contact with toxic chemical substances can originate from pregnancy. For example, a woman might be prescribed or take dangerous medications that were wrongfully labeled. Or, as part of their daily jobs, men and women might be at equal risk of exposure to chemical substances, but their employers have failed to warn them about the implicit dangers and consequences.

We work with highly professional and qualified scientists and health care professionals to investigate and determine whether birth injuries originated from exposure to dangerous chemical substances. Our attorneys strive to recover damages, hold the parties accountable and contribute to improving the best practices of the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Damages Linked To Dangerous Medications

We regularly trust our doctors when they prescribe medications to treat specific conditions. However, manufacturers might fail to include other side effects that could be a threat to public health. In addition, when it comes to pregnant women, certain drugs may prove poisonous to fetuses. For example, warfarin – a blood thinner – may cause deafness, malformed bones and other abnormalities to unborn children.

The Chemical Hazards That Farmers Face

The agricultural industry also poses severe occupational hazards involving the reproductive health of workers. For example, fathers exposed to certain pesticides or herbicides have an increased possibility of having male children with brain cancer or leukemia. Other sources of hazards that might trigger malformations and birth defects include airborne chemical exposure and groundwater contamination.

Toxic substances used in the farming industry could also lead to:

• Neural tube defects, which include defects of the brain or spinal cord
• Low birth weights and sizes
• Heart diseases and defects
• Oral clefts

The Dangers Of Industrial Waste

Coal ash and fly ash are a grave danger to individuals living near industrial dumps. Ash represents a source of air, water and soil contamination that could include heavy metals like mercury, lead, beryllium, arsenic and chromium. These chemical elements put any individual’s health at risk and lead to severe malformations in babies. They also cause miscarriages, stillborn births or early deaths of newborns.

Damages to the fetus due to the exposure to fly ash and coal ash encompass the following:

• Cranial abnormalities, like Chiari malformation
• Omphalocele (growth of organs outside the body)
• Neural damage that could result in autism
• Behavioral and developmental issues
• Spina bifida

The majority of substances mentioned are in the World Health Organization’s list of chemicals of major public health concern. Other chemicals listed are fluoride, asbestos and dioxin-like substances.

The consequences that children and families face due to birth defects are life-changing and require costly surgery and medical treatments. Our lawyers at Weinstein Caggiano PLLC understand the complexities around these cases and commit to helping families recover damages and give their children the lifestyles they deserve.

Your Family Is Important

Call 206-558-9441 today or fill out our online contact form. We will listen to your case, discuss your options and work on solutions for your family.