The ACTU publication Health and Safety at Work states that women are barred from employment in certain occupations. Many agents which are likely to affect the foetus adversely, that is which are embryotoxic are well-known. The traditional response of large companies overseas to the problem of having their women employees exposed to embryotoxic agents has been to deny them employment in these industries. Such a policy has had disastrous effects on the employability of women. It also fails to take into account the toxic effects on men.
Many substances are fetotoxic or are genetically toxic.
In Australia the ACTU has not recorded such policies nor their sequelae. This talk emphasised the importance of differences between women and men in biotransformation of solvents and consequent effects on end-organs. Studies often generalise male results to women, particularly in humans where the number of women in the sample may be small. Evidence of sex differences is not used in establishing safety limits. In animal species males tend to be more susceptible to renal toxicants such as chloroform whereas females are more susceptible to liver toxins.