Documents Hougaard, Karin Sorig 6 results

"Objectives
Many women experience absence periods from work during pregnancy. Several single risk factors for absence are identified, whereas the impact of multiple concurrent exposures has been sparsely studied. We hypothesized that the presence of multiple occupational exposures would be associated with an increased risk of absence from work during pregnancy.
Methods
We included women from the Danish National Birth Cohort (1996–2002), pregnant with one child and working ≥30 hours/week at interview (mean gestational week 17 (standard deviation 4.0); N=50 142). Information about five occupational exposures (job demands, job control, work posture, work shift, lifting) were retrieved from the interview, each assigned values of 0/1, and summed into an index (0–5). The woman's first absence from work (both regular and related to pregnancy) after the interview was available from a nationwide administrative register. We analyzed data with Cox regression using gestational age as the underlying time-variable.
Results
Few women experienced none of the occupational exposures (3.6%) and most experienced two exposures (34.7%). Only 24.3% of the women were absent from work before gestational week 31. The number of occupational exposures was associated with an increasing risk of absence. The adjusted hazard ratio for absence increased from 1.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–1.5] for one exposure to 2.9 (95% CI 2.5–3.3) for four to five exposures compared to no occupational exposure.
Conclusion
The higher the number of potentially adverse occupational exposures pregnant women experienced, the higher the risk for absence from work during pregnancy."

"Background
Exposure to workplace chemicals can pose serious risks to reproductive health. The European Union's Pregnant Workers Directive requires risk assessments but lacks clear guidelines for assessing chemical reproductive hazards in workplaces.
Aims
This study aims to review how EU member states implement the Pregnant Workers Directive by analysing national guidance documents and relevant literature.
Methods
A qualitative review was conducted, combining a systematic literature search with outreach to EU national experts to gather relevant guidance documents. Thematic synthesis identified guiding principles for implementing maternity protection for chemical exposures.
Results
Two main themes were identified: the need for a broad perspective and for certainty in risk assessment. The broad perspective stresses the importance of considering all reproductive hazards, not limited to those listed in the EU Directive and inclusion of male workers and the preconception period, and the potential adverse socio-economic consequences of applied protective measures. The need for certainty highlights the challenges in reliable risk assessments, due to lack of knowledge about chemicals' hazardous properties, dose-response relationships and the level of worker exposure. These themes reveal the complexity of implementing effective maternity protection and the need for improved guidelines across the EU.
Conclusions
This study calls for a unified approach to reproductive health protection, extending beyond pregnancy to include also preconception and paternal exposures. The findings highlight the need to support practitioners in the risk assess process at workplaces in the EU by providing a framework for the assessment of reproductive hazards and determining protective measures."

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"We summarized the findings of reproductive and developmental toxicity studies on carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs). Placental transfer of fullerenes in rats and single-walled (SW) and multi-walled (MW) CNTs in mice was shown after intravenous injection. SWCNTs appeared to be embryolethal and teratogenic in mice when given by intravenous injection and induced death and growth retardation in chicken embryos. In mice-administered MWCNTs, fetal malformations after intravenous and intraperitoneal injections and intratracheal instillation, fetal loss after intravenous injection, behavioral changes in offspring after intraperitoneal injection, and a delay in the delivery of the first litter after intratracheal instillation were reported. Oral gavage of MWCNTs had no developmental toxicity in mice and rats. MWCNTs produced morphological defects, developmental arrest, and death in zebrafish embryos. Intratracheal instillation of carbon black (CB) induced testicular toxicity in adult mice. Maternal airway exposure to CB in gestation had testicular toxicity and altered postnatal behavior, renal development, immune and genotoxic responses, and brain morphology in mouse offspring. Nanodiamonds and graphite nanoparticles inhibited vasculogenesis and/or angiogenesis in chicken embryos. Graphene oxide (GO) induced malformations in zebrafish embryos. Intravenous injection of reduced GO during late gestation caused maternal death and abortion in mice. Oral administration of GO during lactation caused growth retardation of offspring. Overall, the available data provide initial information on the potential reproductive and developmental toxicity of CNMs. However, confirmatory studies using well-characterized CNMs, state-of-the-art study protocol and appropriate route of exposure, are required to clarify the findings and provide information suitable for risk assessment."

"We summarized the findings of reproductive and developmental toxicity studies on carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs). Placental transfer of fullerenes in rats and single-walled (SW) and multi-walled (MW) CNTs in mice was shown after intravenous injection. SWCNTs appeared to be embryolethal and teratogenic in mice when given by intravenous injection and induced death and growth retardation in chicken embryos. In mice-administered MWCNTs, fetal malformations after intravenous and intraperitoneal injections and intratracheal instillation, fetal loss after intravenous injection, behavioral changes in offspring after intraperitoneal injection, and a delay in the delivery of the first litter after intratracheal instillation were reported. Oral gavage of MWCNTs had no developmental toxicity in mice and rats. MWCNTs produced morphological defects, developmental arrest, and death in zebrafish embryos. Intratracheal instillation of carbon black (CB) induced testicular toxicity in adult mice. Maternal airway exposure to CB in gestation had testicular toxicity and altered postnatal behavior, renal development, immune and genotoxic responses, and brain morphology in mouse offspring. Nanodiamonds and graphite nanoparticles inhibited vasculogenesis and/or angiogenesis in chicken embryos. Graphene oxide (GO) induced malformations in zebrafish embryos. Intravenous injection of reduced GO during late gestation caused maternal death and abortion in mice. Oral administration of GO during lactation caused growth retardation of offspring. Overall, the available data provide initial information on the potential reproductive and developmental toxicity of CNMs. However, confirmatory studies using well-characterized CNMs, state-of-the-art study protocol and appropriate route of exposure, are required to clarify the findings and provide information suitable for risk assessment."

"Objectives: Painters' occupational exposure is classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Previous studies have shown increased risk of congenital malformations among children of women exposed to organic solvents and paint emissions during pregnancy. In Denmark, women comprise half of those enrolled in vocational paint training. We investigated the association between maternal and paternal occupational painting, respectively, and the risk of congenital malformations among children.Methods: National register data were used to link childbirths, malformations, and parental occupation. The cohort included >1 300 000 children born to occupationally active women in Denmark 1980–2010. Cases were hospital-diagnosed with malformations within the first year of life. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using multiple logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders.Results: Among 3444 children of female construction painters, we found no increased risk of malformations overall (126 cases, OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.74–1.05) or in organ-specific subgroups compared to children of women in all other occupations (55 045 cases). Sensitivity analyses restricted to severe malformations, children of maternal painters with ?2 years of pre-pregnancy exposure, and firstborn children, and analyses with maternal healthcare assistants and kitchen workers as reference supported the main results. Also, no associations were found when including diagnoses within the first 10 years of life, when stratifying by maternal age, birth year, and sex, or for paternal construction painters.Conclusions: This nationwide cohort study is reassuring with no indications of increased risk of congenital malformations among children of male or of female construction painters."

"Objectives Previous studies indicate an increased risk of cryptorchidism, incomplete testicular descent, among sons of women working with pesticides. This study assessed the risk of cryptorchidism among boys of parents employed as horticultural workers and farmers using nationwide registers on occupation and cryptorchidism.Methods The cohort consisted of >600 000 boys born in Denmark from 1980–2007 with a parent in employment during pregnancy. These boys were followed for cryptorchidism from 1980–2009 comparing risks among sons of horticultural workers and farmers with sons of parents in other occupations. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Cox regression adjusting for parental age, birth years, parity, and geographical region. Results Sons of maternal farmers were at increased risk of cryptorchidism (157 cases; HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.12–1.53) compared to boys of mothers in other occupations (15 511 cases). Paternal occupation as farmer was unrelated to the risk among sons. Maternal occupation as a horticultural worker was associated with a non-significantly increased risk (72 cases; HR 1.20, 95% CI 0.95–1.52). A similar association was found for paternal horticultural workers. Sons of maternal farmers or horticultural workers who likely worked in the first trimester were not at increased risk of cryptorchidism.Conclusions This nationwide cohort study found a slightly increased risk of cryptorchidism in sons of maternal horticultural workers and farmers. However, subgroup analyses indicated similar findings for paternal horticultural workers, and no association for women likely working in the first trimester. The main findings should therefore be interpreted with caution."