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Exposure
to select agents in the workplace may affect an individual's ability to
conceive a child or to maintain a pregnancy. Examples of
workplace exposures that can affect the reproductive system of adults
or the health of children include certain chemicals, physical agents
such as radiation, and biological agents such as bacteria and viruses.
In the past, most public health prevention efforts were focused
on the mother. Recently however, it has become clear that the
process of bearing healthy children relies on a complex series of
coordinated events in the mother, the father, and the fetus.
Consequently, both men and women are susceptible, and exposures
to either parent, even before conception, may affect the normal
development of a child.
It is important to note that reproductive disorders and adverse
pregnancy outcomes are relatively common in the general population.
In most cases, the causes are not known. However, poor
nutrition, alcohol, smoking, prescription or illicit drugs, lack of
prenatal care, age, and heredity all can have profound effects on
reproduction and development. The extent to which workplace
exposures contribute to such problems is not clear, because there are
few studies of such effects in working men and women.
Consequently, there is a great deal of uncertainty associated
with the reproductive and developmental toxicity of most chemicals,
physical conditions, and biological agents.
Although
the extent to which workplace exposures contribute to reproductive and
developmental health problems are not clear, it is known that various exposures do impair reproductive health. Basic
laboratory chemical hygiene practices (such as wearing the proper PPE,
washing hands frequently, not eating/drinking in a lab, using the fume
hood when needed) are extremely important in controlling
chemical/biological exposures. Take a fresh look at the safety precautions spelled
out in the SEFSC Chemical Hygiene Plan, and review the below literature and links for further information.
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