Does Your Job Put You at Greater Risk of Birth Defects?

If you are an expectant mother, what you do for a living can affect your chances of having a baby born with birth defects, according to a new study.

Teachers appear to be at the lowest risk of birth defects, but the news is not as positive for women who work as janitors, scientists, and operators of electronic equipment. Women in those jobs were at “significantly” higher risk of having a child with birth defects, according to a report on BusinessWeek.com.

The new study focused on nearly 9,000 children born with one or more birth defects of the ear, eye, mouth, face, or gastrointestinal tract. Another 3,400 children born without birth defects also were studied. All the children in the study were born between October 1997 and December 2003.

The researchers looked for a link between the occupation of the mother and the risks of birth defects. More than 75 percent of women in the study worked at paid jobs during the study period when they ranged from one month of pregnancy through the first trimester.

As for the reason why women who worked as janitors and cleaners had much higher risks of birth defects, the researchers said it is likely that exposure to chemicals used in that line of work contributed to the increased risks. The number of hours worked in the various jobs also may have been a contributing factor to the birth-defect risks.

The study was published Dec. 22 online in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

AUTHOR: tgrenda