Delivery outcome among women employed in the plastics industry in Sweden and Norway.
In Sweden and Norway separate case-control studies of pregnancy outcome for the period 1973-1981 among female workers in the plastics industry were carried out with similar design. Employment records were obtained from companies producing and/or processing plastics and these were matched with the national medical birth and malformation registers. Within the cohorts of pregnancies during which the mother held employment in a plastics industry (1.397 in the Swedish and 288 in the Norwegian study), cases of stillbirths or infant deaths, selected malformations, or low birthweight (less than 2,000 g) were identified. For each case two controls from the same source were individually matched with regard to date of birth, age of mother, and parity. Exposure data concerning the 44 Swedish and ten Norwegian triplets were obtained from the employers. An increased odds ratio was found for processing of polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics (95% CI Sweden 1.0-5.1; total material 1.1-4.5). However, processing of cold plastics yielded a higher odds ratio than processing of heated plastics. No increased odds ratio was found for processing of styrene or polyurethane plastics. Since not all of the plastics industries in the two countries participated in the studies and the number of cases was small, the result must be interpreted with caution.
Department of Occupational Medicine, Orebro Medical Center Hospital, Sweden.
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Ahlborg
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Bjerkedal
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Egenaes
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009664:Norway; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D010969:Plastics; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride / Q000009:adverse effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden
D010969:Plastics; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride