DELIVERY OUTCOME IN PREGNANCIES WHEN EITHER PARENT WORKED IN THE CHEMICAL-INDUSTRY - A STUDY WITH CENTRAL REGISTRIES

Parental exposure in chemical industry may represent a risk for pregna ncy outcome. Using a population-based medical birth registry, linked t o census for 3 years (1976, 1981, 1986), delivery outcome has been stu died in women who worked as factory workers in chemical industry or wh ose cohabiting partners had such work. As a group of reference were us ed all women who worked in industry and all women whose partners worke d as factory workers, respectively. No increased rate of abnormality w as seen in infants fathered by men working in chemical industry. Infan ts born of women working in such industry showed a high rate of low bi rth weight and short gestational length and also of infant death. The latter phenomenon was only seen among infants born in 1976.