An Aspect of Biology

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Article Reviews- An Aspect of Biology
Abstract
A congenital heart problem can be environmentally related, and association of the defect with increased temperature has obtained little attention. The problem is among the most common birth hazards, but it is so slightly such that the effects do not appear for an extended period until adulthood stage. When cardiovascular malformations occur, the heart begins to bend, folding into a loop, and it is at that time structural defects happen. The heart is a muscle which pumps blood to entire parts of a body, through hollow chambers with openings. Such function would not take place if the blood vessels malfunction. Prenatal environmental risks and genetic factors are the primary cause of congenital heart diseases to babies. Examples of biological hazards include viral infections, medication, alcohol, smoking and active drugs such as cocaine. On the other hand, genetic factors include heredity, mutations or down syndrome. Heart problems can be detected before birth using sonography, fetal echocardiography.
Keywords: Congenital, heart, blood, infant, mother, temperature, health, risks
Konkel, L. (2017). HOT DAYS IN EARLY PREGNANCY. Environmental Health Perspectives, 125(1): p. A25
The article, Hot days in early pregnancy, was written by Lindsey Konkel in the year 2017. She is a New Jersey journalist who gives reports on science, health and environment issues. The authors reported that; exposure to high temperatures by pregnant women pose a potential risk of congenital heart defects.

According to the author, fetal heart forms in the early weeks of gestation periods, and about eight in a thousand infants are born with congenital heart defects (Konkel A25). However, a three-quarter of the flaws is noncritical, thus requiring o surgery to the infants.
Congenital heart defects are health issues affecting heart’s structure and occurs at birth. The risk may affect interior heart walls, valves or the arteries and veins that circulate blood. When this risk occurs, they change the normal flow of blood. Some babies are born with fair conditions, but infants with complex heart complications require special care and treatment throughout. According to Konkel, the current study has findings that over 700, 000 babies are born between April and September. When a comparison of critical prevalence defects and non- hazardous heart defect against days to which mother are exposed during pregnancy was made, observed maximum temperature reached 30°C (Konkel A25). The research was based on measures of outdoor temperatures.
In my opinion, the work of this author is shallow and less detailed when it comes to addressing health matters or environmental concerns. For instance, there are fewer findings of the amount of time which when a pregnant woman expose herself to high temperatures, she will subject the infant to hazards. Information like this is supposed to inform the specific temperatures levels that pregnant women should avoid when at home or workplaces. Also, there ought to be recommendations to expectant mothers about when and where they should take events like vacations to prevent exposure to high temperatures.
Work Cited
Konkel, Lindsey. “Hot Days in Early Pregnancy.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 125, no. 1, Jan. 2017, p. A25. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1289/ehp.125-A25.