Spontaneous abortions among female industrial workers.

Previous descriptive epidemiologic studies have indicated that women working in some industrial settings might experience more spontaneous abortions than the average woman. This study, based on reproductive and work histories obtained by interviews, describes the abortion experience of 4121 women while working in the following industrial productive sectors: textiles, electromechanics, light bulbs, pharmaceuticals, plastics and rubber, thread and wool. Abortion rates experienced (no. of pregnancies spontaneously terminated before the 28th week of gestation per 100 pregnancies) are compared with abortion rates experienced by the same women in previous work settings or in pregnancies when they were home makers. The overall abortion rate is 10.8%. The abortion rate of pregnancies while the woman held her present industrial job was 11.5%. The abortion rate for previous pregnancies was 10.4% while working as a homemaker, and 9.6% while working in other types of work. The only two productive sectors that seem associated with a higher abortion risk are the production of pharmaceuticals and the production of plastics and rubber. The increased risk for abortion in this last sector was observed in all three factories included in the study, and is more evident in the second and third birth orders and in women over 25. The findings are discussed and compared with those of previous studies.