Occupational exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy and association with adverse reproductive outcomes.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health
; 80(7): 559-65, 2007 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-17165063
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the association between exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy and adverse reproductive outcomes.METHODS:
Singleton pregnancies were analysed that (1) had occurred in women working at the time of the study (2004) in hospital sterilising units using ethylene oxide in Gauteng province, South Africa; (2) was the last recognised pregnancy of these women after the 1 January 1992; and (3) this last recorded pregnancy had occurred while the mother was employed. An adverse reproductive outcome was defined as the occurrence of a spontaneous abortion, still birth or pregnancy loss (combined abortion + still birth). Information on the evolution and outcome of the pregnancy was gathered from the mother using a questionnaire. Information on exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy was obtained from three sources, namely walk-through surveys, questionnaire-collected data and measurements of the levels of ethylene oxide in sterilising units at the time of the study (personal and static sampling).RESULTS:
The study enrolled 69% of the hospitals in Gauteng using ethylene oxide to sterilise medical equipment. The participation rate for women employed in these sterilising units was 97%, and the study population consisted of 98 singleton pregnancies. Measurements of ethylene oxide showed that operators of sterilisers were still potentially over-exposed. There was a significantly increased risk of spontaneous abortion (POR = 20.8, 95% CI = 2.1-199) and pregnancy loss (POR = 8.6, 95% CI = 1.8-43.7) for pregnancies highly exposed to ethylene oxide compared to low exposed pregnancies. No associations were found between exposure to ethylene oxide and stillbirth.CONCLUSIONS:
An increased risk of spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss was found to be associated with exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Resultado da Gravidez
/
Exposição Ocupacional
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Exposição Materna
/
Poluentes Ocupacionais do Ar
/
Óxido de Etileno
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Pregnancy
País como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2007
Tipo de documento:
Article