caa a22 4500 463194071 CHVBK 20180406164917.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170326e20070701xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00420-006-0163-y doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00420-006-0163-y Occupational exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy and association with adverse reproductive outcomes [Elektronische Daten] [Daniela Gresie-Brusin, Danuta Kielkowski, Abednego Baker, Kalavati Channa, David Rees] Objective: To investigate the association between exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy and adverse reproductive outcomes. Methods: Singleton pregnancies were analysed that: (1) had occurred in women working at the time of the study (2004) in hospital sterilising units using ethylene oxide in Gauteng province, South Africa; (2) was the last recognised pregnancy of these women after the 1 January 1992; and (3) this last recorded pregnancy had occurred while the mother was employed. An adverse reproductive outcome was defined as the occurrence of a spontaneous abortion, still birth or pregnancy loss (combined abortion+still birth). Information on the evolution and outcome of the pregnancy was gathered from the mother using a questionnaire. Information on exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy was obtained from three sources, namely walk-through surveys, questionnaire-collected data and measurements of the levels of ethylene oxide in sterilising units at the time of the study (personal and static sampling). Results: The study enrolled 69% of the hospitals in Gauteng using ethylene oxide to sterilise medical equipment. The participation rate for women employed in these sterilising units was 97%, and the study population consisted of 98 singleton pregnancies. Measurements of ethylene oxide showed that operators of sterilisers were still potentially over-exposed. There was a significantly increased risk of spontaneous abortion (POR=20.8, 95% CI=2.1-199) and pregnancy loss (POR=8.6, 95% CI=1.8-43.7) for pregnancies highly exposed to ethylene oxide compared to low exposed pregnancies. No associations were found between exposure to ethylene oxide and stillbirth. Conclusions: An increased risk of spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss was found to be associated with exposure to ethylene oxide during pregnancy. Springer-Verlag, 2006 Ethylene oxide nationallicence Occupational exposure nationallicence Adverse reproductive outcome nationallicence Gresie-Brusin Daniela School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut Kielkowski Danuta School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut Baker Abednego School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut Channa Kalavati National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, P.O. Box 4788, 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa aut Rees David School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Springer-Verlag 80/7(2007-07-01), 559-565 0340-0131 80:7<559 2007 80 420 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-006-0163-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-006-0163-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gresie-Brusin Daniela School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Kielkowski Danuta School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Baker Abednego School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Channa Kalavati National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, P.O. Box 4788, 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Rees David School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 2900, 2132, Johannesburg, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Springer-Verlag 80/7(2007-07-01), 559-565 0340-0131 80:7<559 2007 80 420 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer