Glycol ethers are found in a wide range of domestic and industrial products, many of which are used in women's work environments. Motivated by concern about their potential reproductive toxicity, we have evaluated the risk of congenital malformations related to glycol ether exposure during pregnancy as part of a multicenter case-control study, conducted in six regions in Europe. The study comprised 984 cases of major congenital malformations and 1,134 controls matched for place and date of birth. Interviews of the mothers provided information about occupation during pregnancy, sociodemographic variables, and other potential risk factors (medical history, tobacco, alcohol, drugs). A chemist specializing in glycol ethers evaluated exposure during pregnancy, using the job description given by the mother, without knowledge of case or control status. We classified malformations into 22 subgroups. The overall odds ratio (OR) of congenital malformation associated with glycol ether exposure was 1.44 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-1.90], after adjustment for several potential confounders. The association with exposure to glycol ethers appeared particularly strong in three subgroups: neural tube defects (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.16-3.24), multiple anomalies (OR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.24-3.23), and cleft lip (OR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.11-3.73). In this last subgroup, risk, especially of an isolated defect, tended to increase with level of exposure.

This study failed to detect any relationship between lung cancer and exposure to iron, chromium, nickel and/or their compounds. High and statistically significant relative risks, along with increasing trends, were observed for simultaneous exposure to PAHs and silica.

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Initial Matgéné JEMs results are in agreement with the French and international literature, thus validating the methodology. Exposure estimates precision, however, vary between agents and according to the amount of exposure measurement data available. These JEMs are important epidemiological tools, and improving their quality will require investment in occupational health data harvesting, especially in the case of low-level exposures.

OBJECTIVES -A hospital-based case-referent study was carried out in Lyon with the purpose of generating hypotheses about the role of occupational exposures to 320 compounds in bladder carcinogenesis. METHODS -Job histories were obtained by questionnaire for 116 cases and 232 reference patients with diseases other than cancer (one referent from the same hospital ward and one from another ward of the same hospital per case); the referents were matched for gender, hospital, age, and nationality. Systematic coding of exposures, with a blind analysis of job histories, was carried out by a team of experts in chemistry and occupational health. RESULTS -Significantly elevated odds ratios were observed for exposure to pyrolysis and combustion products [odds ratio (OR) 2.3, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.0---4.0] when the general referents were used and for cutting fluids (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2-5.4) when tobacco consumption was adjusted for. The latter was highest among the category consisting of blue-collar and unskilled workers, supervisors, and agricultural workers (OR 4.6 95% CI 2.0-10.6), while the odds ratio for the other category was 0.8 (95% CI 0.3-2.7). An elevated odds ratio for exposure to inks was observed for the women (OR 14.0,95% CI 1.8-106.5) on the basis of 14 exposed cases, but confounding factors could have been responsible for this result. Odds ratios for several other exposures (rubber: OR 5.7, nitrates: OR 8.2, coke dust: OR 3.5, meat additives: OR 3.8) were also elevated, but not significantly so when based on a small number of exposed cases. CONCLUSION -The observations of this investigation should be tested in future studies, in particular since exposures to agents such as cutting fluids or pyrolysis products are ubiquitous in industrial settings and may present an important public health hazard.