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Founded in 1982 to “provide birth defect information to parents
and to investigate the causes of birth defects that could have been
prevented,” Birth Defect Research for Children (BDRC) is making
a huge difference in the battle against birth defects. In 2002,
BDRC was placed on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s
Top Ten Health Charities List.
BDRC’s methods are simple but effective. The organization,
which is based in Orlando, Florida, provides informational publications
and telephone counseling to new and expectant parents about a variety
of birth defects, especially those caused by environmental exposures.
BDRC also publishes a daily news feed featuring the latest news
on national birth defect issues and provides a matching service
to facilitate community support for parents.
Perhaps most important, the organization administers the National
Birth Defect Registry, which collects data on over 300 categories
of birth defects and developmental disabilities. Information is
also recorded on prenatal and pre-conceptual exposures of the mother
and pre-conceptual exposures of the fathers. These data are analyzed
to identify clusters of birth defects that may be associated with
parental exposure to many different environmental agents. The registry
collects information from parents using a questionnaire developed
by a panel of scientific experts that now make up BDRC’s Scientific
Advisory Board.
In the past few years, BDRC has become extensively involved in
issues relating to the children of military veterans. Findings from
the National Birth Defect Registry have been presented to the Presidential
Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses and featured in numerous
national media forums. BDRC is now collaborating with the University
of Texas, Southwestern in a case-control study of the children of
Gulf War veterans. The organization’s efforts have been expanded
to include children of veterans of more recent wars, such as the
conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a recent meeting with BDRC founder and president Becky Mekdeci,
the Council on Humane Giving learned that the registry is making
a profound difference. After the residents of one small U.S. town
noticed a suspiciously high incidence of babies with a specific
birth defect, BDRC went to work. Using the registry, BRDC was able
to show that the town’s water supply was to blame. The subsequent
clean-up saved untold future children from harm. This episode is
a perfect example of why research that focuses on humans is so vital
to the battle against birth defects.
For more information, visit www.birthdefects.org.
Each month the Council on Humane Giving profiles a health charity
that displays the Humane Charity Seal of Approval on its website
or literature. Please consider showing your support by writing a
letter of thanks or giving a donation, and be sure to tell your
friends, family and coworkers about this outstanding health charity.
Humane Charity Spotlight Archive
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