Reproductive hazards in the work place.

Discusses the importance of addressing the potential toxic effects of harmful agents encountered through occupational exposure on the fetus and the male and female reproductive systems. Some employers in the United States have excluded females from job positions that may have the potential to interfere with normal reproductive function. This policy is contrary to the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 unless there is scientific evidence that a risk exists exclusively for women. The 2 major difficulties in determining the impact of occupational exposure are the extremely large number of chemical and physical agents to which workers may be exposed, and that the effects of these agents are multifactorial. Lists of possible adverse effects are provided; spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, malformation, and infertility are discussed at length. Adverse reproductive effects associated with various toxic agents are summarized in table form. Receiving special comments are anesthetic gases, lead and mercury, vinyl chloride, chloroprene, radiation, pesticides, hydrocarbons, solvents, and polychlorinated biphenyls. The authors declare a need for more research in this area, and a need for the establishment of a legal mechanism to enable industry to participate in reproductive outcome studies without being threatened by potential future litigation.