Influence of paternal exposure to oil and oil products on time to pregnancy and spontaneous abortions.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of exposure to oil and oil products among men on the time taken for their wives to conceive and on the incidence of spontaneous abortion among them. A cross-sectional study was performed by posting questionnaires to 1,269 men employed as offshore mechanics, offshore operators, offshore drilling personnel, car mechanics (the 'exposed' occupations) and carpenters ('unexposed'). The married men were asked to give a separate questionnaire to their wives for details about their pregnancies. The time elapsed between the beginning of coitus without contraception and the wife becoming pregnant (time to pregnancy) was analyzed with Cox regression analysis by calculating fecundability ratios for the pregnancies for the men exposed to oil and oil products as compared with the men who were not exposed. Spontaneous abortions were analyzed with logistic regression by calculating odds ratios for the pregnancies in which the men were exposed vs. not exposed. A total of 741 (58%) men returned the questionnaires. A total of 301 pregnancies were analyzed for time taken to conceive and 580 for spontaneous abortion. The results were adjusted for variables that could significantly influence conception time (previous infections of the reproductive system and coffee drinking) or the incidence of spontaneous abortion (mother's age, parity and smoking). The outcomes between the exposed and unexposed pregnancies showed no significant differences. Car mechanics had a lower fecundability ratio before 1992 than after 1992. Paternal exposure to hydrocarbons in the occupations studied did not seem to have had a major influence on time to conception or the incidence of spontaneous abortion among the wives of the men exposed to oil products.
Bull
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Division of Occupational Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway. nils.bull@isf.uib.no
Riise
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Moen
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D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007219:Industrial Oils / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018812:Paternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D010578:Petroleum