Occupational Female Reproductive Hazards

Abstract

The survival of a species depends on the integrity of its reproductive system. Damage by physical or chemical agents to the sperm, ovum or fertilised ovum may cause infertility, spontaneous abortion and birth defects, or may result in mutations that are passed on to future generations. When considering occupational exposures that may damage reproductive processes, the hazard to both men and women must be examined. Disorders of reproduction and hazards to reproductive health have become prominent public health issues now. Rubella (German measles) was recognised as a major cause of birth defects in the 1940s. In the 1960s the use of thalidomide sensitised the public to chemically induced birth defects. Early in the 1970s young women whose mothers had taken diethylstilbestrol during pregnancy were found to have vaginal problems. Later in the decade, it was discovered that men occupationally exposed to dibromochloropropane (DBCP) were subject to varying degrees of testicular toxicity, potentially culminating in infertility. More than 100 years ago, lead was discovered to cause miscarriages, stillbirths and infertility in female pottery workers. These have heightened sensitivities to potential occupational, therapeutic or environmental hazards to reproduction.