Paternal and maternal exposure to welding fumes and metal dusts or fumes and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed whether paternal exposure prior to conception and maternal exposure during pregnancy to welding fumes (WF) and metal dusts or fumes (MD/F) independently and jointly increases the risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational age.


METHODS
The study population was selected from The Finnish Prenatal Environment and Health Study of 2,568 newborns (response rate 94%) and included 1,670 women who worked during pregnancy of which 68 were exposed either to WF and/or MD/F.


RESULTS
The risk of SGA was related to maternal exposure to WF only (adjusted OR = 1.78; 95% CI 0.53-5.99), MD/F only (adjusted OR = 1.77; 95% CI 0.38-8.35) and both exposures (2.92; 1.26-6.78). The corresponding effect estimates for preterm delivery were 2.66 (0.32-22.08), 5.64 (1.14-27.81) and for birth weight below 3,000 g 3.79 (1.09-13.19), 1.85 (0.56-6.14) and 1.70 (0.70-4.15), respectively. There was some suggestive, inconsistent evidence that the risk of preterm delivery and SGA is related to paternal exposure to WF.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results provide evidence that maternal exposure to WF or MD/F combination during pregnancy may reduce fetal growth and suggestive evidence that paternal exposure to WF may increase the risk of preterm delivery and small-for-gestational age. The small number of exposed women and the lack of data for exposure concentrations suggest the need for further study to verify our findings.
Quansah
Reginald
R
Institute of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
Jaakkola
Jouni J K
JJ
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018812:Paternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014896:Welding; D055815:Young Adult
D004391:Dust