Workgroup report: Implementing a national occupational reproductive research agenda--decade one and beyond.
The initial goal of occupational reproductive health research is to effectively study the many toxicants, physical agents, and biomechanical and psychosocial stressors that may constitute reproductive hazards in the workplace. Although the main objective of occupational reproductive researchers and clinicians is to prevent recognized adverse reproductive outcomes, research has expanded to include a broader spectrum of chronic health outcomes potentially affected by reproductive toxicants. To aid in achieving these goals, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, along with its university, federal, industry, and labor colleagues, formed the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) in 1996. NORA resulted in 21 research teams, including the Reproductive Health Research Team (RHRT). In this report, we describe progress made in the last decade by the RHRT and by others in this field, including prioritizing reproductive toxicants for further study; facilitating collaboration among epidemiologists, biologists, and toxicologists; promoting quality exposure assessment in field studies and surveillance; and encouraging the design and conduct of priority occupational reproductive studies. We also describe new tools for screening reproductive toxicants and for analyzing mode of action. We recommend considering outcomes such as menopause and latent adverse effects for further study, as well as including exposures such as shift work and nanomaterials. We describe a broad domain of scholarship activities where a cohesive system of organized and aligned work activities integrates 10 years of team efforts and provides guidance for future research.
Lawson
Christina C
CC
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226-1998, USA. clawson@cdc.gov
Grajewski
Barbara
B
Daston
George P
GP
Frazier
Linda M
LM
Lynch
Dennis
D
McDiarmid
Melissa
M
Murono
Eisuke
E
Perreault
Sally D
SD
Robbins
Wendie A
WA
Ryan
Megan A K
MA
Shelby
Michael
M
Whelan
Elizabeth A
EA
D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D009314:National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S.; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016272:Occupational Health; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D018456:Reproductive Medicine; D012106:Research; D014481:United States
D015386:Hazardous Substances