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Document ID (ISN)108929
CIS number 08-1307
ISSN - Serial title 1351-0711 - Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Year 2008
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Sallmén M., Neto M., Mayan O.N.
Title Reduced fertility among shoe manufacturing workers
Bibliographic information Aug. 2008, Vol.65, No.8, p.518-524. 38 ref.
Abstract To investigate whether fertility is reduced among female shoe manufacturing workers exposed to solvents, a retrospective study was conducted on time to pregnancy (TTP) among 250 Portuguese shoe manufacturing women workers exposed to solvents and 250 unexposed women working in other sectors. Data on TTP and related factors were collected by means of interviews, and exposure assessment was based on workplace atmosphere sampling. Data were subjected to statistical evaluation. Exposure to solvents was associated with reduced fertility. Overall, the findings provide further evidence that exposure to solvents is hazardous for female reproduction. The observed association may be related to any of the following solvents commonly used in shoe manufacturing: n-hexane and hexane isomers, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane.
Descriptors (primary) antifertility effects; Portugal; shoe industry; risk factors; women; organic solvents
Descriptors (secondary) dichloromethane; determination in air; ethyl acetate; hexane; 2,2-dimethylbutane; 2-methylpentane; 3-methylpentane; 2,3-dimethylbutane; toluene; smoking; exposure evaluation; case-control study; confounding factors; breathing atmosphere; statistical evaluation; butanone
Document type D - Periodical articles
Country / State or ProvinceFinland; Portugal
Subject(s) Leather, fur and footwear
Broad subject area(s) Occupational medicine, epidemiology
Chemical safety
Industries and occupations
Browse category(ies) Antifertility and prenatal effects
Footwear, leather and fur industry
Genetic factors in reaction to exposures