teratogen; teratogenic substance
Medical and biological term for any agent that can cause birth defects or developmental abnormalities in an embryo or fetus.
Thalidomide is known as a teratogen.
During pregnancy, exposure to teratogenic substances should be avoided.
Compound of 催 (さい, 'induce'), 奇形 (きけい, 'malformation'), and 物質 (ぶっしつ, 'substance'). The term is a direct calque from English 'teratogen' (from Greek teras 'monster' + gen 'produce').