Vets have twice the risk of miscarriage if they do not protect themselves from occupational hazards, says study

Researchers call for female vets to be better informed of potential risks - News Release

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Thursday 3 April 2008

Female veterinarians are twice as likely to have a miscarriage if they do not protect themselves from certain occupational hazards, according to a new study published today in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The researchers are calling for female vets to be better informed of the potential risks to their pregnancies, as many are not making use of the safety equipment available for their protection.

The study looked at the experiences of 1197 female vets working in clinical practice, who graduated from Australian veterinary schools between 1960 and 2000, responding to a questionnaire-based survey.

The researchers found that there was a more than twofold increase in the risk of miscarriage in women exposed to anaesthetic gases for more than an hour a week without using equipment to remove the gas from the air, known as a gas scavenger.

The researchers are calling for female vets to be better informed of the risks to their pregnancies

There was also a twofold increase in those who used pesticides at work, and an 80 percent greater risk of miscarriage in those who performed more than five x-ray examinations per week compared with those who performed five or less. Veterinarians are often unable to leave the room whilst performing an x-ray because they have to hold the animal being x-rayed in order to restrain it.

The researchers believe their results will be of interest to other groups exposed to similar risks, such as veterinary nurses, animal laboratory technicians, anaesthetists, dentists, dental assistants and nurses.

Dr Adeleh Shirangi, corresponding author of the research from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London, said: "Prior to our study, there had been very little research looking at female vets' exposures to occupational hazards and how this affects their health. 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 whilst they are working, especially if they planning to have a baby."

Dr Shirangi carried out this work whilst based in the School of Population Health at the University of Western Australia, working with colleagues there and at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Australia.

A previous study of Australian vets, by the same researchers, found that approximately two thirds of vets surveyed in 2000 spent five or more hours a week in an operating suite or recovery room area and that nearly a quarter of these did not take steps to reduce their exposure to anaesthetic gases.

The same study showed that whilst eight out of ten vets used lead aprons to protect themselves while taking x-rays, a large proportion did not use other protective devices such as thyroid protector, lead gloves, lead screens or film holders.

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Notes to editors:

1. "Maternal occupational exposures and risk of spontaneous abortion in veterinary practice" Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Thursday 3 April 2008. doi: 10.1136/oem.2007.035246

A. Shirangi(1)(2), L. Fritschi(3), C. D. J Holman(1)

(1) School of Population Health, University of Western Australia
(2) Now at Deparmtent of Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College London
(3) Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Australia

2. About Imperial College London

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