Exposures to occupational reproductive hazards

Purpose of the study. To describe the prevalence of occupational exposures to reproductive hazards in couples seen at the ARTEMIS Centre (specialized center dedicated to the evaluation of environmental risks on reproductive health). Methods. Couples seen in interview were addressed by physicians for reproductive disorders (infertility, pregnancy complications, birth defects). A medical consultation and a protocolized nursing interview (with an interview guide) allowed for the identification and characterization of occupational exposures to reproductive hazards. Results. Most commonly found occupational exposures among females seen for fertility disorder: drugs (9.5%), solvents (4.2%) and pesticides (3.2%); among males: PAHs (10.2%), pesticides (9.3%) and solvents (9.3%). Among women seen for miscarriage or birth defects: drugs (4.8%), pesticides (4.0%) and solvents (4.0%). Among women seen for pathological pregnancy: workload (32.3%) and work schedule tolerance (6.3%), drugs (4.4%) and pesticides (4.4%). Conclusion. This study identifies exposures to occupational reproductive hazards in both women and men. The early identification of the reproductive hazard at the workplace should allow the occupational medicine to limit the worker's exposure in order to ensure his reproductive health. To do this, development of environmental health research (toxicology, epidemiology, etc.), awareness raising and education of all actors in the workplace are needed. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.