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

Abstract

Objectives Previous experimental and epidemiological research suggests that maternal exposure to some organic solvents during pregnancy may increase the risk of fetal growth restriction (FGR). We evaluated the association between expert-assessed occupational solvent exposure and risk of small for gestational age (SGA) infants in a population-based sample of women in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Methods We analysed data from 2886 mothers and their infants born between 1997 and 2002. Job histories were self-reported. Probability of exposure to six chlorinated, three aromatic and one petroleum solvent was assessed by industrial hygienists. SGA was defined as birthweight<10th centile of birthweight-by-gestational age in a national reference. Logistic regression was used to estimate ORs and 95% CIs to assess the association between SGA and exposure to any solvent(s) or specific solvent classes, adjusting for maternal age and education. Results Approximately 8% of infants were SGA. Exposure prevalence to any solvent was 10% and 8% among mothers of SGA and non-SGA infants, respectively. Among women with ≥50% probability of exposure, we observed elevated but imprecise associations between SGA and exposure to any solvent(s) (1.71; 0.86 to 3.40), chlorinated solvents (1.70; 0.69 to 4.01) and aromatic solvents (1.87; 0.78 to 4.50). Conclusions This is the first population-based study in the USA to investigate the potential association between FGR and assessed maternal occupational exposure to distinct classes of organic solvents during pregnancy. The potential associations observed between SGA and exposure to chlorinated and aromatic solvents are based on small numbers and merit further investigation.

Maternal occupational exposure to selected organic and chlorinated solvents and delivery of small‐for‐gestational age or preterm infants

“…The initial analysis by Desrosiers et al 10 S2). Though we also observed an elevated, but imprecise adjusted OR for any solvent exposure and SGA among women in the first exposure assessment period (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002), we observed a nonstatistically significant inverse association between maternal occupational exposure to any solvent and SGA among women in the second exposure assessment period (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011) period (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011), we did observe elevated, nonsignificant ORs for estimated solvent exposure above the median versus below for both outcomes of interest in the current study.…”

“…2,7,8 Findings from early epidemiological studies among potentially high-exposure populations (e.g., laboratory workers, dry cleaner workers, etc. ), 9 as well as several populationbased studies, [10][11][12][13] have been suggestive of an association between organic solvent exposure and adverse birth outcomes, including smallfor-gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth (PTB). However, small sample size has contributed to imprecise (i.e., low statistical power) findings in some studies, 14,15 while others have reported negative or null associations.…”

“…To better understand the potential effects of organic solvent exposure in the workplace on pregnancy outcomes, Desrosiers and colleagues first conducted an analysis using National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) data from 1997 to 2002 that evaluated the association between expert‐assessed occupational solvent exposure and risk of SGA among infants in a population‐based sample of women; elevated but imprecise associations were observed between SGA and exposure to any solvent(s), chlorinated solvents, and aromatic solvents among women with ≥50% probability of exposure 10 . Since these analyses, an additional 9 years of data (2003–2011) were collected and PTB was included as an additional pregnancy outcome of interest.…”

A Review on the Vagus Nerve and Autonomic Nervous System During Fetal Development: Searching for Critical Windows

“…The occupational and environmental exposure to pollution may be another important disrupting factor for fetal ANS development. A growing body of evidence suggests that chemicals exposure can impact fetal growth (Dejmek et al, 1999 ; Snijder et al, 2012 ; Desrosiers et al, 2015 ) and is a risk factor for congenital heart diseases (Gong et al, 2017 ), preterm birth and severe neurodevelopmental abnormalities (Zhang et al, 1992 ; Lacasaña et al, 2006 ; Langlois et al, 2012 ; Yurdakök, 2012 ). Even if the effects on the vagus nerve are still to be defined, the hazards exposure may affect the fetal motor activity (DiPietro et al, 2014 ) and be related to delayed neurobehavioural development in neonates (Handal et al, 2008 ).…”

Correlation between preconception maternal non-occupational exposure to interior decoration or oil paint odour and average birth weight of neonates: findings from a nationwide cohort study in China’s rural areas

“…For their extensive use in oil paints and cleaning agents, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, USA, named 10 organic solvents as the top chemicals in occupational exposure—benzene, xylene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, methylene chloride, perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and the petroleum based mixture Stoddard solvent. 8 Associations have been found that occupational exposure of pregnant women to certain types of organic solvents contributes to a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, spontaneous abortion, congenital malformations and signs of underdevelopment during gestation, compared with infants delivered by unexposed women. 9 Conversely, little attention has been directed to exposure to non-occupational organic solvents, especially interior decoration or oil paint odour, in spite of their widespread use in daily life.…”