PATERNAL OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE AROUND CONCEPTION AND SPINA-BIFIDA IN OFFSPRING

A multi-center case-referent study was conducted on the relation betwe en paternal occupational exposure and spina bifida in offspring. Cases were born between 1980 and 1992 in The Netherlands. Referents were re cruited from hospitals and from the general population. Postal questio nnaires were used to gather information on occupation and potential co nfounders. Through job-specific telephone interviews with 122 case fat hers and 411 referent fathers, detailed exposure information was colle cted on specific tasks, the use of chemical or physical agents, freque ncy of exposure, and use of protective equipment. The study yielded st atistically significant associations between spina bifida and low expo sure to welding fumes (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0-2.6) and low exposure to UV radiation during welding (OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.2-5.6), and suggestiv e findings of an association between spina bifida and moderate or high exposure to cleaning agents, moderate or high pesticide exposure (OR = 2.7, 95% Clr 0.7-4.0), and stainless steel dust (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 0 .8-5.2). No associations were identified for other paternal occupation al exposures, such as organic solvents. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.