Reproductive hazards in the workplace: A case study of women firefighters

Evanoff, Bradley; Rosenstock, Linda

doi:10.1002/ajim.4700090602

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(13 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Concerns also exist about the negative impact of occupational exposure on reproductive health [9]. Research conducted in the 1980’s suggested that toxic exposures experienced by male firefighters may increase the likelihood of birth defects among their offspring [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research conducted in the 1980’s suggested that toxic exposures experienced by male firefighters may increase the likelihood of birth defects among their offspring [10]. Similarly, preliminary data from the same period indicated that the exposure to carbon monoxide and high ambient temperatures may increase the risk of birth defects among pregnant female firefighters and highlight the reproductive dangers of firefighting [11,12]. Evidence also suggests that pregnant women’s exposure to loud noises (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The health of women in the US fire service

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundDespite statements from national fire service organizations, including the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), promoting a diverse work force related to gender within the fire service, rates of women firefighters remain very low. Thus, research into why this extensive gender disparity continues is a high priority. Recent years have seen a number of large scale studies on firefighter health and health risk behaviors however, none have focused on the health of women firefighters and nearly all have eliminated women from the sample due to small sample size. Data from the present report is drawn from all females in a large, randomly selected cohort of firefighters in an epidemiological study designed to assess health outcomes and health risk behaviors identified as most important to the fire service.MethodsData reported for the present study were collected as baseline data for the Firefighter Injury and Risk Evaluation (FIRE) Study, a longitudinal cohort study examining risk factors for injury in both career and volunteer firefighters in the IAFC Missouri Valley Region. Of the departments assessed, only 8 career and 6 volunteer departments had any women firefighters. All the women solicited for participation chose to enroll in the study. The number of women ranged from 1 to 7 in career departments and 1 to 6 in volunteer departments.ResultsWhere possible, comparisons are made between female firefighters and published data on male firefighters as well as comparisons between female firefighters and military members. Compared to male firefighters, females had more favorable body composition among both career and volunteer firefighters. Tobacco use rates were generally higher among females than males and rates among female firefighters were similar to the rates of female military members. While rates of alcohol use were higher than the general population, only one of the participants evidenced responses in the range of concern on the CAGE screening.ConclusionsIn general, the findings offer an interesting glimpse of the health of women in the fire service as a generally healthy occupational workforce with some unique health risk behavior challenges. They also highlight some of the similarities and differences between male and female firefighters and bolster the argument for studying female firefighters as a unique occupational sub-population.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The health of women in the US fire service

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One area that has been particularly understudied are maternal and child health outcomes among those firefighters experiencing a pregnancy while serving in the fire service. Limited publications from the 1980s and 1990s(Evanoff & Rosenstock, 1986) reviewed the potential risks women firefighters face, but calls for further research were largely ignored. Reproductive risks for women include not only exposures on the fire ground and other emergency responses(McDiarmid, Lees, Agnew, Midzenski, & Duffy, 1991) but also the impact of shift work and interruption of the body’s circadian rhythms, high temperatures, loud noises and the physical strain of firefighting(Agnew, McDiarmid, Lees, & Duffy, 1991; Amani & Gill, 2013; Mahoney, 2010; Nurminen, 1998; Puttonen, Härmä, & Hublin, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the recognized risks to maternal and child health, quantitative data on pregnancy outcomes are lacking from the current literature. The lack of scientific data on the impact of occupation-specific hazards on reproductive health have been cited as limiting fair employment policies and employee rights as early as three decades ago (Evanoff & Rosenstock, 1986) and as negatively impacting recruitment and retention among women firefighters. The current study is a survey that was designed to provide preliminary data on these topics.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal and Child Health Among Female Firefighters in the U.S.

Jahnke

Poston

Jitnarin

et al. 2018

Matern Child Health J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives Despite increasing attention to the occupational impact of firefighting, little is known specific to the health of women firefighters. In particular, quantitative data is lacking on the impact firefighting has on maternal and child health for women who become pregnant while working as firefighters. Methods A total of 1821 women firefighters responded to requests to complete a self-report survey of questions about pregnancy. Women answered questions about their departments' policies and practices and their own experiences of pregnancy. Those participants who reported a pregnancy while serving as a firefighter were asked detailed questions about their pregnancy and outcomes. Results Female firefighters reported that nearly a quarter of their first pregnancies while in the fire service ended in miscarriage and that increased to a third of pregnancies by the fourth. Rates of pre-term delivery also were high among this population. Conclusions Findings have important implications for policy and practice among women who become pregnant while actively serving in the fire service.

show abstract

“…Given the potential for heat stress, toxic exposure, and hypoxia, Evanoff & Rosenstock (32) have suggested that women firefighters who are pregnant should cease firefighting activity sometime during the second trimester, and that contract policies facilitate pregnancy leave and temporary reassignment.…”

Section: Fitness and Performance Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%