A Critique of Risk Disclosure as the Solution for Minimizing Toxic Exposures in Pregnancy.

The issue of pregnant women's exposures to everyday chemicals and the implications for the health of future children are receiving increased attention in popular media and in the academic press. In response, health profession organizations are developing clinical practice guidelines for warning pregnant women about the risks associated with exposures to certain toxics. We evaluate different sides of a risk-avoidance approach for pregnant women in the context of a hypothetical case study involving phthalates and women who work in nail salons. We consider the ubiquitous nature of low-dose exposures and both the positive aspects and limitations of promoting avoidance measures with respect to phthalate exposures. We conclude that a risk-disclosure approach has both practical limitations and equity dimensions which must be factored in to public health guidelines and messaging and the development of clinical practice guidelines. Upstream solutions including regulatory action on chemicals and heightened attention to environmental justice would result in optimal management of this issue.

Chemical exposures of women workers in the plastics industry with particular reference to breast cancer and reproductive hazards.

Despite concern about the harmful effects of substances contained in various plastic consumer products, little attention has focused on the more heavily exposed women working in the plastics industry. Through a review of the toxicology, industrial hygiene, and epidemiology literatures in conjunction with qualitative research, this article explores occupational exposures in producing plastics and health risks to workers, particularly women, who make up a large part of the workforce. The review demonstrates that workers are exposed to chemicals that have been identified as mammary carcinogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals, and that the work environment is heavily contaminated with dust and fumes. Consequently, plastics workers have a body burden that far exceeds that found in the general public. The nature of these exposures in the plastics industry places women at disproportionate risk, underlining the importance of gender. Measures for eliminating these exposures and the need for regulatory action are discussed.