Thalidomide – A Chemical Disaster
Introduction
Throughout history there has been many chemical disasters including one that was caused by a drug named thalidomide. Thalidomide was a drug used in the 1950’s for the global issue of morning sickness in pregnant women and insomnia. At the time it was considered a “Wonder Drug” (DermNet NZ, 2013). This was due to the fact that it was an over-the-counter pharmaceutical that was considered completely safe. The drug was also considered as a non-barbiturate sedative which caused the drug to have a massive appeal with the public. The company that produced thalidomide was a German company named Chemie-Grünenthal who said that the drug had no lethal dose, meaning that the company couldn’t find a dose high …show more content…
The drug slowed down brain activity which resulted in drowsiness and relaxation. This helped people fall asleep as well as relieve people of pain and nausea similar to those due to morning sickness. However, this sedative also caused severe birth defects to those who had taken the drug during their pregnancy. The drug was able to cross the placenta and interfere with the distribution and spread of nutrients to the baby. The drug proved itself to be a mutagen due to the fact that it commonly inserted itself into guanine sites of the new baby. This caused the DNA to be disrupted and malformations to occur (Stephens, 2000). Along with disrupting the DNA thalidomide also interfered with the production of proteins and angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels meaning that the drug would block the growth and development of body parts due to the lack of blood and proper nutrients. After multiple studies, thalidomide was proven to commonly cause the malformations during the 14th to the 36th day after the fertilization of the egg (Moore, 2003). This period of time is when essential development of organ and limbs begins. Therefore, the babies could be seriously deformed and be born with multiple malformations in the limbs and the organs. After scientists discovered all of this the drug was considered to be a poison and was quickly prohibited for any women who …show more content…
First, after analyzing a situation like this some ask whether we should fix natural morning sicknesses or just deal with it. Some argue that these symptoms are natural and a part of life as well as the fact that we shouldn’t rely or depend on science in order to fix these problems. Others can argue that science is to be used in order to help improve the understanding of the world around us and help make our lives the best they can be. Another controversial subject is whether or not we should find the reason for birth defects. Some believe that everything is a part of our lives and that we should simply accept the person and their flaws. The drug itself is also a controversial item. Due to new studies, thalidomide has been proven to work in order to treat certain skin cancers and thalidomide has been reintroduced to the market. However, there are still many who don’t believe that this was a good decision because the drug is able to create horrible malformations in new babies. In this situation, the strengths are the fact that the FDA now requires extensive testing and that chemical disasters are less likely to occur. Through science, we also now have the ability to track and monitor drugs and their reactions to the human body. This situation has multiple limitations too. Chemicals and pharmaceuticals that are used today still have the ability of being distributed without
Introduction
Throughout history there has been many chemical disasters including one that was caused by a drug named thalidomide. Thalidomide was a drug used in the 1950’s for the global issue of morning sickness in pregnant women and insomnia. At the time it was considered a “Wonder Drug” (DermNet NZ, 2013). This was due to the fact that it was an over-the-counter pharmaceutical that was considered completely safe. The drug was also considered as a non-barbiturate sedative which caused the drug to have a massive appeal with the public. The company that produced thalidomide was a German company named Chemie-Grünenthal who said that the drug had no lethal dose, meaning that the company couldn’t find a dose high …show more content…
The drug slowed down brain activity which resulted in drowsiness and relaxation. This helped people fall asleep as well as relieve people of pain and nausea similar to those due to morning sickness. However, this sedative also caused severe birth defects to those who had taken the drug during their pregnancy. The drug was able to cross the placenta and interfere with the distribution and spread of nutrients to the baby. The drug proved itself to be a mutagen due to the fact that it commonly inserted itself into guanine sites of the new baby. This caused the DNA to be disrupted and malformations to occur (Stephens, 2000). Along with disrupting the DNA thalidomide also interfered with the production of proteins and angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels meaning that the drug would block the growth and development of body parts due to the lack of blood and proper nutrients. After multiple studies, thalidomide was proven to commonly cause the malformations during the 14th to the 36th day after the fertilization of the egg (Moore, 2003). This period of time is when essential development of organ and limbs begins. Therefore, the babies could be seriously deformed and be born with multiple malformations in the limbs and the organs. After scientists discovered all of this the drug was considered to be a poison and was quickly prohibited for any women who …show more content…
First, after analyzing a situation like this some ask whether we should fix natural morning sicknesses or just deal with it. Some argue that these symptoms are natural and a part of life as well as the fact that we shouldn’t rely or depend on science in order to fix these problems. Others can argue that science is to be used in order to help improve the understanding of the world around us and help make our lives the best they can be. Another controversial subject is whether or not we should find the reason for birth defects. Some believe that everything is a part of our lives and that we should simply accept the person and their flaws. The drug itself is also a controversial item. Due to new studies, thalidomide has been proven to work in order to treat certain skin cancers and thalidomide has been reintroduced to the market. However, there are still many who don’t believe that this was a good decision because the drug is able to create horrible malformations in new babies. In this situation, the strengths are the fact that the FDA now requires extensive testing and that chemical disasters are less likely to occur. Through science, we also now have the ability to track and monitor drugs and their reactions to the human body. This situation has multiple limitations too. Chemicals and pharmaceuticals that are used today still have the ability of being distributed without