Physical and Chemical Factors in the Home and Workplace before and during Pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: To present and discuss current knowledge about the relationship between physical and chemical factors in the home and workplace and adverse reproductive outcomes in the offspring. Design and Methods: Critical review of the scientific literature, focusing mostly on epidemiological research. Reviews and original papers involving human occupational and home exposures to physical and chemical agents and their relation to adverse reproductive outcomes were screened and commented upon. Results: Only a small proportion of the several thousands of occupational/home exposures have been adequately assessed for reproductive or developmental toxicity. This is reflected in the difficulties of identifying causal associations in humans and in the lack of data. Conclusion: According to present knowledge, very few authors confirmed that reproductive hazards exist in environmental agents, but increased surveillance of occupational exposures in relation to workers’ reproductive health is highly desirable in order to assess moderate risks.

Correction: Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and the “Elephant Man's” Disease: The Confusion Persists: An Ethnographic Study

“…Unlike NF1, Proteus syndrome is an extremely rare genetic condition, with only 205 recently published cases worldwide, of which only 97 satisfy the diagnostic criteria issued by the NIH in 1998 [15]. The causal mutation seems to occur in a consistently sporadic manner and the subsequent syndrome manifests itself in a mosaic pattern [15,25]. Contrary to what is the case with NF, no specific genetic mutation has been identified for Proteus syndrome [15].…”

“…The causal mutation seems to occur in a consistently sporadic manner and the subsequent syndrome manifests itself in a mosaic pattern [15,25]. Contrary to what is the case with NF, no specific genetic mutation has been identified for Proteus syndrome [15]. Proteus syndrome manifests as the excessive and unbalanced growth of multiple tissues and is also characterized by conjunctive tissue calcifications and narrowing and lengthening of long bones [15].…”

“…Today it is known that NF1 is one of the world's most widespread mendelian genetic disorders, with a prevalence of 1 in 3,000. In contrast, Proteus syndrome is a very rare condition, with a prevalence lower than 1 in 1,000,000 (Table 1 [8,9,10,11,12,13,14]) [15]. Furthermore, diagnostic criteria for both conditions have been well defined by the NIH (Table 1), and there exist methods of genetic testing that differentiate reliably between NF1 and Proteus syndrome.…”

Developmental toxic effects of ethylbenzene or toluene alone and in combination with butyl acetate in rats after inhalation exposure

“…Occupational exposure to organic solvents during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk of birth defects, including spontaneous abortion and intrauterine growth retardation (Schardein, 2000;Robert-Gnansia and Saillenfait, 2002). In most manufacturing and processing units, solvents are used in mixtures, and women are rarely exposed to a single compound in their working environment.…”