Occupational Exposure to pesticides and spontaneous abortion among female pistachio farmers: a case-control study

Received: May 2012, Accepted: September 2012 Background: The majoritiy of abortion risk factors has been classified as environmental and vary from one place to another. This study aimed to explore the relationship between exposure to pesticides and spontaneous abortion among female pistachio farmers in Rafsanjan, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 50 women with spontaneous abortion and 50 women without this history who were matched based on some factors were recruited. Cases and controls were recruited through the list of all pregnant women who were registered in the rural health centers of the county. A written consent form was taken. Dependent and independent variables were experiencing spontaneous abortion and had been exposed to pistachio farms pesticides, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Odds ratio was also calculated to measure the level of risk for spontaneous abortion after exposing to pistachio pesticides and 95% confidence interval was reported. Results: About 72% and 22% of mothers with and without spontaneous abortion had experienced working in pistachio farms during their pregnancy, respectively. There was a significant level of risk for mothers who had worked in pistachio farms (during their pregnancy) to experience spontaneous abortion compared to those mothers who did not (Odds Ratio= 9.1, 95%CI=3.7-22.6). Odds ratio showed an increasing risk of spontaneous abortion among those who helped with spraying pesticides in pistachio farms compared to those mothers who did not (OR= 9.3, 95%CI=2.0-43.7). Conclusion: Exposure to pesticides has been a major risk for causing spontaneous abortion among pregnant pistachio farmers in the area of this research. Further investigations are recommended.