Review of Hazards to Female Reproductive Health in Veterinary Practice

Details

• Personal Author:
  Decker, John A. ; Elchos BL ; Rubin CS ; Scheftel JM
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE: To review publications that address female reproductive health hazards in veterinary practice, summarize best practices to mitigate reproductive risks, and identify current knowledge gaps. DESIGN: Systematized review. SAMPLE: English-language articles describing chemical, biological, and physical hazards present in the veterinary workplace and associations with adverse reproductive outcomes or recommendations for minimizing risks to female reproductive health. PROCEDURES: Searches of the CAB abstracts database were performed in July 2012 and in May 2015 with the following search terms: veterinarians AND occupational hazards and vets.id AND occupational hazards.sh. Searches of the PubMed database were conducted in November 2012 and in May 2015 with the following medical subject heading terms: occupational exposure AND veterinarians; anesthetics, inhalation/adverse effects AND veterinarians; risk factors AND pregnancy AND veterinarians; pregnancy outcome AND veterinarians; and animal technicians AND occupational exposure. Two additional PubMed searches were completed in January 2016 with the terms disinfectants/toxicity AND female AND fertility/drug effects and veterinarians/psychology AND stress, psychological. No date limits were applied to searches. RESULTS: 4 sources supporting demographic trends in veterinary medicine and 118 resources reporting potential hazards to female reproductive health were identified. Reported hazards included exposure to anesthetic gases, radiation, antineoplastic drugs, and reproductive hormones; physically demanding work; prolonged standing; and zoonoses. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Demographic information suggested that an increasing number of women of reproductive age will be exposed to chemical, biological, and physical hazards in veterinary practice. Information on reproductive health hazards and minimizing risk, with emphasis on developing a safety-focused work culture for all personnel, should be discussed starting in veterinary and veterinary technical schools and integrated into employee training. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Anesthesia Animals Chemistry Database Demography Disinfectants Environmental Exposure Hazardous Substances Health Personnel Occupational Health Pregnancy Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Urogenital System Veterinarians Women

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• Keywords:
  Anesthetics Antineoplastic Agents Biological Effects Chemical Composition Chemical Hazards Chemical Properties Databases Demographic Characteristics Drugs Exposure Levels Hazards Humans Physical Reactions Physiological Effects Physiology Psychological Stress Radiation Exposure Reproductive Health Risk Factors Stress Zoonoses

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• ISSN:
  0003-1488
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Minnesota ; Mississippi ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  250
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049661
• Citation:
  J Am Vet Med Assoc 2017 Apr; 250(8):862-872
• Contact Point Address:
  Joni M. Scheftel DVM, MPH, Zoonotic Diseases Unit, Minnesota Department of Health, 625 North Robert St, Saint Paul, MN 55155
• Email:
  joni.scheftel@state.mn.us
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6566f0c29f83fd4f9150a7cd49af854f1e270cfd730eb6a0449f52f0c71eb5ba61f40f57e59625ebdad94f1589c9a2b9db9dd379ae29d8a4e8f6743e2529076f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210339/cdc_210339_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 982.87 KB ]