MedWire News: Female veterinarians who do not protect themselves against anesthetics, X-rays, and pesticides at work could be increasing their risk for miscarriage, investigators warn.

They found that exposure to these occupational hazards increased the risk for miscarriage around two fold.

Adeleh Shirangi (Imperial College London, UK) and colleagues sent a questionnaire-based survey to all graduates from Australian veterinary schools during the 40-year period between 1960 and 2000.

Among the 1,197 female respondents, 1,355 reported pregnancies, of which 940 were eligible for the final analysis.

The crude risk for miscarriage was 16 percent. Analysis showed that women exposed to unscavenged anesthetic gases for 1 or more hours per week had a 2.49 higher risk of miscarriage than other women, while those performing more than five radiographic examinations per week had a 1.82 greater risk for miscarriage than those performing less than five.

There was also a significant increased risk for miscarriage among women who used pesticides at work, at 1.88-fold.

Shirangi commented: "We found that many of the vets surveyed either didn't have the safety equipment in their practices, or they had the equipment but weren't using it correctly.

"We hope that our research will make vets aware of the need to fully protect themselves while they are working, especially if they are planning to have a baby."

Journal