MALE AND FEMALE EMPLOYMENT IN THE TEXTILE-INDUSTRY IN RELATION TO MISCARRIAGE AND PRETERM DELIVERY

To address potential reproductive hazards in textile manufacturing, we conducted a community-based case-control study in central North Carol ina. Miscarriage cases were identified from medical records (280 inter viewed cases); preterm delivery cases and term, normal birth weight co ntrols (454 and 605, respectively) were identified from area hospitals . Exposures were based on job title, an interview concerning textile-r elated exposures, expert imputation of exposure based on job titles an d interviews, and self-reported exposures by women. Relative to women and men working in nonhazardous occupations, workers in the textile in dustry were not at increased risk of miscarriage or preterm delivery, with the possible exception of preterm delivery among women and men em ployed in sectors other than knitting and yam mills and men employed i n yam mills. Inferred exposures to specific agents were also not assoc iated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Subject to uncertainty in exposu re assessment and nonresponse, these data indicate an absence of adver se effects of the textile workplace environment on these pregnancy out comes. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.