Exposure to organic solvents and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Organic solvents are among the most common exposures in the workplace. Our objective was to elaborate the relationship between prenatal occupational solvent exposure and fetal growth as well as duration of pregnancy, and to quantify the impact of occupational organic solvent exposure. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study of 1670 singleton newborns of women who participated in The Finnish Prenatal Environment and Health Study after their delivery (response rate 94%) and who were working during pregnancy (65%). Exposure information was based on questions about exposure to solvents at work before and during pregnancy. The health outcomes, based on information from a questionnaire and the Finnish Medical Birth Registry, were low birth weight (<3000 g), small-for-gestational-age and preterm delivery (<37 weeks). RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis, the risk of the baby being small-for-gestational-age was related to any exposure to solvents 3 months before or during pregnancy with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 5 1.02-2.73]. Also the adjusted OR for low birth weight was elevated with exposure, although it did not reach statistical significance (1.17; 95% CI 5 0.71-1.93). The population attributable fraction for small-for-gestational-age was 2.3% for all pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Work exposure to organic solvents may reduce intrauterine growth by increasing the risk of the baby being small-for-gestational-age.

Reproductive Toxicology and Teratology of Abused Toluene

“…Decreased fetal and birth weight or small-for-gestational-age at birth are the most common reported outcomes of occupational solvent exposure during pregnancy [Ahmed and Jaakkola 2007]. For example, among 41,200 couples working in the petrochemical industry in China, exposure reduced birth weights of female babies after adjusting for potential confounders but paternal exposure to organic solvents was not similarly associated [Ha et al 2002].…”

Prenatal toluene exposure impairs performance in the Morris Water Maze in adolescent rats

“…Abuse of inhalants like toluene while pregnant can lead to a constellation of physical anomalies and developmental disabilities in the offspring collectively referred to as “Fetal Solvent Syndrome” (FSS; Toutant and Lippmann, 1979, Hannigan and Bowen, 2010, Bowen and Hannigan, 2013). The signs of FSS in children include premature birth, low birth weight (Ahmed and Jaakkola, 2007), skeletal and other facial anomalies (Jones and Balster, 1998), and impaired cognitive development (Laslo-Baker et al, 2004), outcomes sharing similarities with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD; Pearson et al, 1994, Wilkins-Haug, 1997). …”

Assessed occupational exposure to chlorinated, aromatic and Stoddard solvents during pregnancy and risk of fetal growth restriction

“…Probability, intensity and frequency of exposure were accounted for, and a modest increase in the odds of SGA was reported for low (1.3; 0.6 to 2.5) and moderate (2.2; 0.8 to 6.1) exposure (no women were considered to have ‘high’ exposure). SGA as well as LBW (defined as <3000 g) were later examined in a Finnish case–control study (1996–1997; approximately 1500 births) in relation to self-reported exposure to any solvents at work anytime during pregnancy or the 3 months before 18. In this study, the unadjusted ORs for SGA and LBW were 1.72 (1.08 to 2.69) and 1.39 (0.87 to 2.13), respectively.…”

“…Some studies have evaluated SGA,18–20 while others have considered LBW with a threshold of either 250016 20 or 300017 18 grams. In our study, we examined two measures of FGR: SGA and change in the distribution of term birthweight.…”