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Chemicals Cause Fetal Problems |
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Chemicals Cause Fetal Problems |
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| Chemicals Cause
Fetal Problems Pregnant women who are exposed to organic solvents while at work place their unborn children at a greater risk of developing malformations. In a new study that appears in the March 24/31 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, doctors at The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, studied the fetal malformations in 125 pregnant women who were exposed to organic solvents during the first trimester and compared them to 125 pregnant women who were not exposed. The organic solvents women were most commonly exposed to included aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, xylene and vinyl chloride. The women in the study worked as laboratory technicians, factory workers, professional artists, chemists, funeral home employees, veterinary technicians, office workers and social workers. The researchers found 13 fetal malformations in women exposed to these organic solvents; 12 of the 13 problems occurred among the 75 women who suffered symptoms related to their exposure, such as eye irritation, respiratory problems and headaches. Forty-three of the women exposed showed no symptoms. The fetal malformations were deafness, clubfoot, spina bifida and heart abnormalities. The researchers say organic solvents can pass through the placenta and other membranes in the body. "It is prudent to minimize women's exposure to organic solvents during pregnancy," the authors write. "Health-care professionals who counsel families of reproductive age should inform the parents that some types of employment may influence reproductive outcomes." |