Occupational exposures among nurses and risk of spontaneous abortion
Lawson, Christina C. ; Rocheleau, Carissa M. ; Whelan, Elizabeth A. ; Lividoti Hibert, Eileen ; Grajewski, Barbara ; Spiegelman, Donna ; Rich-Edwards, Janet W.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2012
206
4
327.e1-8
abortion ; disinfectants ; drug ; epidemiologic study ; exposure assessment ; nurse ; reproductive hazards ; occupational risks ; x-rays
Occupational risks
English
Bibliogr.
"OBJECTIVE:
We investigated self-reported occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs, anesthetic gases, antiviral drugs, sterilizing agents (disinfectants), and X-rays and the risk of spontaneous abortion in US nurses.
STUDY DESIGN:
Pregnancy outcome and occupational exposures were collected retrospectively from 8461 participants of the Nurses' Health Study II. Of these, 7482 were eligible for analysis using logistic regression.
RESULTS:
Participants reported 6707 live births, and 775 (10%) spontaneous abortions (<20 weeks). After adjusting for age, parity, shift work, and hours worked, antineoplastic drug exposure was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of spontaneous abortion, particularly with early spontaneous abortion before the 12th week, and 3.5-fold increased risk among nulliparous women. Exposure to sterilizing agents was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of late spontaneous abortion (12-20 weeks), but not with early spontaneous abortion.
CONCLUSION:
This study suggests that certain occupational exposures common to nurses are related to risks of spontaneous abortion."
Digital
The ETUI is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ETUI.