Birth defects among children of nurse anesthetists
A survey of 621 female nurse anesthetists was performed to determine the incidence of birth defects among the offspring of this group. Two separate mailings and telephone interviews resulted in a response rate of 84.5%. Of children whose mothers worked during pregnancy, 16.4% had birth defects, while only 5.7% of children whose mothers did not work during pregnancy had birth defects. This difference was significant (P <0.005). Three neoplasms were reported in 2 children whose mothers worked during pregnancy. One neoplasm was reported among the offspring of mothers not working during pregnancy.