While solvents had previously been shown to cause birth defects in laboratory animals, it is the first proof that humans can be affected as well. The study, published in the March 24 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association , demonstrates that pregnant women exposed in their jobs to organic solvents have a 13-times greater risk of major malformations in their babies as well as increased risk for miscarriages than women not exposed to solvents. This study is important because it is the first in which women were assessed after exposure to solvents and before giving birth. Organic solvents to which women reported being exposed to included vinyl chloride, acetone, phenols and aromatic hydrocarbons. Exposure to such solvents occurs either by absorption through the skin or by inhalation.
Risk is decreased if adequate safety guidelines are followed, i.e. use of gloves and fume hoods.
Although organic solvents are used in household products, the low levels of exposure associated with home use are not considered dangerous. The study, led by researchers at the Hospital s Motherisk program, involved 250 pregnant women, half of whom had been exposed in the workplace to organic solvents. The women in the study were counselled by the Motherisk program between 1987 and 1996. Each mother who reported occupational exposure to organic solvents was paired in the study with a woman who was exposed to an agent known to not cause birth defects. Factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, age, and stage of pregnancy were taken into consideration.