[Reproduction disorders in women occupationally exposed to pesticides]

Among many harmful factors typical of occupations in agriculture, pesticides occupy a specific place. The effects of such a hazard may be manifested among others by reproduction disorders. In the epidemiological studies, presented in this paper, the analysis was focused more on the relationship between employment in agriculture and the incidence of congenital malformations, miscarriages, low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age, preterm delivery and still births, and less on conditions of exposure to various chemical compounds in greenhouses. The results of the analyses indicate that employment in agriculture increases the risk of congenital malformations to infant, particularly such as orofacial cleft, birthmarks in the form of haemangioma, as well as musculoskeletal and nervous system defects. The data on the effect of employment in agriculture on low birth weight are unequivocal. The study did not reveal significantly increased risk of small-for-gestational-age birth, but it was found that exposure to pesticides may contribute to still births. The results presented show significant risk of reproduction disorders in women employed during pregnancy in conditions of pesticide exposure. They also justify the placement of pesticides among factors the pregnant women should not be exposed to, at least until employers in Poland are able to assess individual risk of women employed under exposure to pesticides.