{"id":454,"date":"2024-04-15T09:21:18","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T13:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/?page_id=454"},"modified":"2025-12-15T14:06:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:06:48","slug":"birth-defects","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/","title":{"rendered":"Birth Defects"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-454\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-454-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"page-title-banners panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-454-0\" ><div id=\"pgc-454-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-454-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-454-0-0-0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h1>Birth Defects<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-454-0-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-454-0-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-icon panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-454-0-1-0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-icon so-widget-sow-icon-default-ef02b8565b6e-454\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"sow-icon-container sow-icon\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"sow-icon-fontawesome sow-fas\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf77c;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-454-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-454-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-454-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-accordion panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div class=\"rounded-image-w-shadow panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-454-1-0-0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-accordion so-widget-sow-accordion-default-d9295f5bfa93-454\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div>\n\t<div class=\"sow-accordion\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel\n\t\t sow-accordion-panel-open\t\t\t\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-anchor-id=\"what-are-birth-defects\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-header-container\" role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-header\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" id=\"accordion-label-what-are-birth-defects\" aria-controls=\"accordion-content-what-are-birth-defects\" aria-expanded=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-title sow-accordion-title-icon-left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are birth defects?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-open-close-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-open-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sow-icon-ionicons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf218;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-close-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sow-icon-ionicons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf209;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sow-accordion-panel-content\"\n\t\t\t\trole=\"region\"\n\t\t\t\taria-labelledby=\"accordion-label-what-are-birth-defects\"\n\t\t\t\tid=\"accordion-content-what-are-birth-defects\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-border\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>About 3% of all babies born in the U.S. are affected by birth defects. Birth defects are structural changes in the baby that may or may not be compatible with life. These changes can be mild or severe and can affect a single part or multiple parts of the body. Some defects can be treated with surgical and other medical interventions. Diagnosis usually occurs within the first year of a baby\u2019s life. Some defects can be diagnosed during pregnancy through screening and other types of tests.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1496 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/12\/Pregnant-Hispanic-Laptop-285x300.jpg\" alt=\"pregnant woman working at laptop\" width=\"285\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/12\/Pregnant-Hispanic-Laptop-285x300.jpg 285w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/12\/Pregnant-Hispanic-Laptop.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px\" \/><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-anchor-id=\"how-is-the-environment-related-to-birth-defects\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-header-container\" role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-header\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" id=\"accordion-label-how-is-the-environment-related-to-birth-defects\" aria-controls=\"accordion-content-how-is-the-environment-related-to-birth-defects\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-title sow-accordion-title-icon-left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow is the environment related to birth defects?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-open-close-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-open-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sow-icon-ionicons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf218;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-close-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sow-icon-ionicons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf209;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sow-accordion-panel-content\"\n\t\t\t\trole=\"region\"\n\t\t\t\taria-labelledby=\"accordion-label-how-is-the-environment-related-to-birth-defects\"\n\t\t\t\tid=\"accordion-content-how-is-the-environment-related-to-birth-defects\"\n\t\t\t\tstyle=\"display: none;\"\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-border\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Birth defects are thought to be a result of a combination of factors, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genetic<\/li>\n<li>Behavioral<\/li>\n<li>Environmental<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words, a defect may be a result of several factors working together. For most birth defects, causes are complex and not well understood. We do know that a developing fetus as well as infants and children face special risks from environmental exposures because their bodies are small and still developing.<\/p>\n<p>The connections between environmental exposures and birth defects are not fully clear. We know a lot of exposure to certain chemicals could increase the risk of defects. These chemicals include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, pesticides, and others. Exposure to high levels of radiation may also increase defect risk.<\/p>\n<p>How can pregnant women be exposed to pollutants of concern?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Eating contaminated fish<\/li>\n<li>Breathing contaminated air in the workplace or at home<\/li>\n<li>Drinking water from contaminated wells<\/li>\n<li>Smoking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In most cases, a birth defect is not caused by anything a parent did or didn\u2019t do, but there are a few actions that can be taken:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid smoking and second-hand smoke<\/li>\n<li>Stop use of illicit drugs<\/li>\n<li>Talk to your healthcare provider about concerns related to environmental exposures at work or at home<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel\n\t\t sow-accordion-panel-open\t\t\t\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-anchor-id=\"what-data-does-virginia-epht-provide-on-birth-defects\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-header-container\" role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-header\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" id=\"accordion-label-what-data-does-virginia-epht-provide-on-birth-defects\" aria-controls=\"accordion-content-what-data-does-virginia-epht-provide-on-birth-defects\" aria-expanded=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-title sow-accordion-title-icon-left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat data does Virginia EPHT provide on birth defects?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-open-close-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-open-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sow-icon-ionicons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf218;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-close-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sow-icon-ionicons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf209;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sow-accordion-panel-content\"\n\t\t\t\trole=\"region\"\n\t\t\t\taria-labelledby=\"accordion-label-what-data-does-virginia-epht-provide-on-birth-defects\"\n\t\t\t\tid=\"accordion-content-what-data-does-virginia-epht-provide-on-birth-defects\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-accordion-panel-border\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>T<span data-teams=\"true\">he Virginia EPHT program collects data trends on twelve conditions.<\/span>\u00a0These defects were selected because of their possible link with environmental risk factors. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/anencephaly.html\">Anencephaly<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/cleft-lip-cleft-palate.html\">Cleft Lip with Cleft Palate<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/cleft-lip-cleft-palate.html\">Cleft Lip without Cleft Palate<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/cleft-lip-cleft-palate.html\">Cleft Palate without Cleft Lip<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/gastroschisis.html\">Gastroschisis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/heart-defects\/about\/hypoplastic-left-heart-syndrome.html\">Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/hypospadias.html\">Hypospadias<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/limb-reduction-defects.html\">Limb Deficiencies<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/spina-bifida\/index.html\">Spina Bifida<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/heart-defects\/about\/tetralogy-of-fallot.html\">Tetralogy of Fallot<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/heart-defects\/about\/d-tga.html\">Transposition of the Great Arteries (Vessels)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/about\/down-syndrome.html\">Trisomy 21<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-teams=\"true\">Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/birth-defects-dashboard\/\">here<\/a> to see the data in a visualization dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-454-1-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-454-1-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div class=\"so-rounded panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-454-1-1-0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2>Helpful Links<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/vacares\/birth-defects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vdh.virginia.gov\/vacares\/birth-defects\/<\/a> to learn more about birth defects and newborn screening in VA<\/li>\n<li>See birth defects <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/birth-defects-dashboard\/\">dashboard<\/a><\/li>\n<li>See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/\">cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/<\/a> to view more on birth defects from CDC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-454-1-1-1\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" ><div class=\"so-rounded panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-454-1-1-1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-20 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2023\/12\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png\" alt=\"Virginia Environmental Public Health Tracking\" width=\"300\" height=\"67\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2023\/12\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2023\/12\/Virginia_Wide_508.png 378w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Contact Us<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Virginia Environmental Public Health Tracking Program<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Virginia Department of Health<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">P.O. Box 2448<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Richmond, Virginia 23218-2448<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">109 Governor Street<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Richmond, Virginia 23219<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:ephtsupport@vdh.virginia.gov\">Email Us<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Birth Defects Helpful Links See vdh.virginia.gov\/vacares\/birth-defects\/ to learn more about birth defects and newborn screening in VA See birth defects dashboard See cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/ to view more on birth defects from CDC Contact Us Virginia Environmental Public Health Tracking Program Virginia Department of Health P.O. Box 2448 Richmond, Virginia 23218-2448 109 Governor Street Richmond, Virginia 23219\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":651,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-454","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Birth Defects - Environmental Public Health Tracking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Birth Defects - Environmental Public Health Tracking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Birth Defects Helpful Links See vdh.virginia.gov\/vacares\/birth-defects\/ to learn more about birth defects and newborn screening in VA See birth defects dashboard See cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/ to view more on birth defects from CDC Contact Us Virginia Environmental Public Health Tracking Program Virginia Department of Health P.O. Box 2448 Richmond, Virginia 23218-2448 109 Governor Street Richmond, Virginia 23219\u00a0 [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Environmental Public Health Tracking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T19:06:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/\",\"name\":\"Birth Defects - Environmental Public Health Tracking\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/218\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-15T13:21:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-15T19:06:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/218\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/218\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/birth-defects\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Birth Defects\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/\",\"name\":\"Environmental Public Health Tracking\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/environmental-public-health-tracking\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Birth Defects - Environmental Public Health Tracking","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Birth Defects - Environmental Public Health Tracking","og_description":"Birth Defects Helpful Links See vdh.virginia.gov\/vacares\/birth-defects\/ to learn more about birth defects and newborn screening in VA See birth defects dashboard See cdc.gov\/birth-defects\/ to view more on birth defects from CDC Contact Us Virginia Environmental Public Health Tracking Program Virginia Department of Health P.O. Box 2448 Richmond, Virginia 23218-2448 109 Governor Street Richmond, Virginia 23219\u00a0 [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/","og_site_name":"Environmental Public Health Tracking","article_modified_time":"2025-12-15T19:06:48+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/","url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/","name":"Birth Defects - Environmental Public Health Tracking","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2023\/12\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png","datePublished":"2024-04-15T13:21:18+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-15T19:06:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2023\/12\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2023\/12\/Virginia_Wide_508-300x67.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/birth-defects\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Birth Defects"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/","name":"Environmental Public Health Tracking","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2048,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/454\/revisions\/2048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-public-health-tracking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}