Table 3 Crude and adjusted* odds ratios for reproductive outcomes by tertiles of model predicted exposure to toluene (mg/m3) at three months before pregnancy among 381 male painters exposed to organic solvents and 300 non‐exposed male carpenters.
| Outcome variable | Carpenters | Painters, exposure tertile† | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (0.17 to 0.38) | Intermediate (0.38 to 1.02) | High (1.03 to 4.66) | ||
| Number of subjects | 300 | 127 | 126 | 128 |
| Prolonged TTP | ||||
| Obs | 33 | 18 | 15 | 13 |
| OR–crude (95% CI) | 1.0 | 1.3 (0.7–2.4) | 1.1 (0.6–2.1) | 0.9 (0.5–1.9) |
| OR–adjusted (95% CI) | 1.0 | 1.2 (0.5–2.5) | 1.1 (0.5–2.2) | 1.1 (0.5–2.7) |
| Spontaneous abortion | ||||
| Obs | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| OR–crude (95% CI) | 1.0 | 2.5 (1.0–6.2) | 0.2 (0.0–1.7) | – |
| OR–adjusted‡ (95% CI) | 1.0 | 1.3 (0.5–3.4) | 0.4 (0.0–3.2) | |
| Preterm birth | ||||
| Obs | 21 | 11 | 14 | 12 |
| OR–crude (95% CI) | 1.0 | 1.3 (0.6–2.8) | 1.5 (0.7–3.0) | 1.2 (0.6–2.5) |
| OR–adjusted (95% CI) | 1.0 | 1.6 (0.7–3.9) | 1.5 (0.7–3.2) | 0.8 (0.3–2.0) |
| Low birth weight¶ | ||||
| Obs | 21 | 9 | 14 | 18 |
| OR–crude (95% CI) | 1.0 | 0.9 (0.4–2.3) | 1.3 (0.6–2.9) | 2.2 (1.0–4.6) |
| OR–adjusted (95% CI) | 1.0 | 1.5 (0.5–4.3) | 1.6 (0.7–3.8) | 1.9 (0.8–4.7) |
| Birth defects—all | ||||
| Obs | 11 | 9 | 14 | 13 |
| OR–crude (95% CI) | 1.0 | 2.1 (0.8–5.1) | 3.0 (1.3–6.8) | 2.6 (1.1–5.9) |
| OR–adjusted (95% CI) | 1.0 | 2.1 (0.7–5.9) | 3.0 (1.3–7.0) | 2.2 (0.8–6.0) |
| Congenital malformations | ||||
| Obs | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| OR–crude (95% CI) | 1.0 | 9.0 (1.8–44.0) | 4.4 (0.8–24.4) | 4.2 (0.8–23.2) |
| OR–adjusted (95% CI) | 1.0 | 6.8 (1.3–35.9) | 3.9 (0.6–24.5) | 8.9 (0.8–95.9) |
| Functional developmental disorders | ||||
| Obs | 9 | 2 | 10 | 9 |
| OR–crude (95% CI) | 1.0 | 0.5 (0.1–2.5) | 2.5 (1.0–6.4) | 2.1 (0.8–5.5) |
| OR–adjusted (95% CI) | 1.0 | 0.4 (0.0–3.2) | 2.9 (1.1–7.7) | 1.5 (0.5–4.6) |
Obs, reported number of cases; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.
*Adjusted for year of pregnancy, maternal age at conception, paternal smoking and alcohol use before pregnancy, and maternal alcohol use, smoking, chemical occupational exposure, physical occupational exposure, and medication use during pregnancy.
†Estimated long term average exposure to toluene (mg/m3), used as a marker for exposure to organic solvents.
‡For the adjusted odds ratios, the intermediate and high exposed workers were combined in order to provide a valid model fit.
¶Adjusted for gestational age.