| Agent | Human Outcomes2 | Strength of Data3 |
|---|---|---|
| Anaesthetic gases | Subfertility/SAB, BDs | ?/+ |
| Antineoplastic drugs | SAB/BDs | ++/+ |
| Arsenic | SAB, LBW | + |
| Carbon disulfide | SAB, LBW/menstrual disorders | +/? |
| Carbon monoxide | SAB, LBW | + |
| Chlorination by-products | SAB, LBW/menstrual disorders | +/? |
| Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) | Menstrual disorders, SGA, preterm | ? |
| Dioxins | Menstrual disorders, SAB, BDs | ? |
| Electromagnetic fields (EMF) | SAB/childhood cancer | +/+ |
| Ethylene glycol ethers | SAB | ++ |
| Ethylene oxide | SAB | + |
| Lead | Infertility, SAB, preterm/neurobehavioral | +/++ |
| Mercury | Menstrual disorders, SAB,LBW/CNS malformation, cerebral palsy, neurobehavioral | +/++ |
| Physical stress | Preterm, LBW/SAB | +/? |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) | LBW, hyper pigmentation/menstrual disorders | +/? |
| Radiation, ionising | Infertility, menstrual disorders, SAB, BDs, childhood cancer | ++ |
| Solvents, organic | Menstrual disorders/SAB,BDs | ?/+ |
| Tobacco smoke | Fetal loss/LBW | +/++ |
| Video display terminals (VDT) | SAB, BDs | - |
| Source: Windham G.C. & Osorio A.M. Female Reproductive Toxicology. In Ladou J: Current Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Third Edition, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. New York, 2004 pp 397-424. | ||
| 1Compiled from multiple sources including original reports. 2All have shown at least limited positive effects in animals. BDs = birth defects; CNS = central nervous system; LBW = low birth weight or decreases weight; SAB = spontaneous abortion. 3++ = Strong evidence; + = limited evidence; ? = preliminary or conflicting evidence; - = no association. |
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Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health (DOH) - Modules 3: Occupational Medicine & Toxicology (Basic) by Profs Mohamed Jeebhay and Rodney Ehrlich, Health Sciences UCT is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 South Africa License. Major contributors: Mohamed Jeebhay, Rodney Ehrlich, Jonny Myers, Leslie London, Sophie Kisting, Rajen Naidoo, Saloshni Naidoo. Source available from here. For any updates to the material, or more permissions beyond the scope of this license, please email healthoer@uct.ac.za or visit www.healthedu.uct.ac.za.
Last updated Jan 2007.
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