BACKGROUND: The protection of pregnant workers should be based on evidence regarding the risks to reproductive health from exposure to specific work environments and conditions. The objective of this study was to identify the effects on mothers and newborns resulting from environmental exposure to various occupational risks.
METHODS: The study cohort was composed of 399 women admitted to the Obstetrics/Postpartum ward at Hospital La Fe in Valencia, Spain. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to establish associations between workplace exposure during pregnancy and its effects on maternal and newborn health. Sex, anthropometric characteristics, and blood gas analysis in arterial and venous umbilical cord blood at delivery were collected.
RESULTS: A total of 138 women were exposed to biological and/or chemical risks, 122 to physical risks, and 139 at no risk of exposure. In the group with chemical and/or biological risks, the frequency of women who resorted to in vitro fertilization to achieve the studied pregnancy is less than half of the group exposed to physical risks, with statistically significant differences (p = 0.047). The mean values for the arterial analysis in both exposure groups were within average values, with similar pH values between them, but the mean values of PCO2 and PO2 were lower in the group of neonates of mothers exposed to physical risks, with a significant difference for arterial PO2 (p = 0.027).
CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis contributes evidence for planning and prioritizing preventive actions to protect women\'s reproductive health. The results suggest the continuation of a future project that would consider more factors and potentially increase the sample size.

Although biological/infectious risks are the most important in a medical biology laboratory, chemical risks should not be underestimated. Chemical products are used for analyses, and for disinfecting premises and equipment. Their toxicity imposes strict legislation, which is available to medical biologists in the French Labor Code, European legislation and Inrs (National Institute for Research and Safety) documentation. These sources are necessary because chemical risks are not taken into account by COFRAC (Comité français d\'accréditation). The educational aim of this article is threefold: to identify the hazards and risks associated with the use of chemical products; to explain what to do in the event of an accident; and, finally, to provide information on prevention and protection.

A high incidence of foodborne diseases occurs in the home setting because consumers adopt inappropriate preparation, consumption, and storage procedures. The present study applies an ethnographic approach to identify inadequate practices that could increase the incidence of foodborne diseases. Techniques related to the ethnographic approach were used: participant observation, kitchens mapping, collection of photographic material, and informal interviews in natural settings. A sample of 14 families was involved through the snowball sampling technique. This study identifies habitual practices and routine behaviour as the main risk factors. The inadequacies most frequently encountered related to the microbiological risks are incorrect handwashing, the presence in the kitchen spaces of objects unrelated to food preparation, the improper use of dishcloths and sponges, the inappropriate washing of utensils and food, the incorrect storage of food in the fridge, and the presence of children and pets without an adequate administration of the spaces. The practices that can expose consumers to chemical risk include food preservation through unsuitable containers/materials, food overcooking, and detergents contamination. The data underline the need to implement communicative and training interventions that give precise and targeted indications about correct safety practices in the home setting.

The attention paid to the use of pesticides has increased notably in recent years as demonstrated by the issue of laws and regulations requiring their safe and environmentally-conscious use (e.g. Directive 2009/128/EC and Regulation (EC) no. 1272/2008). Despite the benefits that can be achieved by pursuing the targets of stricter legislative framework, the difficulties for farmers in complying with it are remarkable, especially for small-sized companies. In fact, in contrast to other occupational health and safety (OHS) contexts, in the case of pesticides even a preliminary analysis on the relationship between pesticide use and the consequent exposure risks for the workers is a complex task. In order to reduce the above-mentioned gap, the present study is focused on the development of an easy-to-use tool for carrying out occupational risk assessment of agricultural activities related to the use of pesticides. The procedure was developed by starting from the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) approach and its improvements, and continuing to the thorough development of a tool for preliminary risk assessment, providing a simplified model for its practical application by farmers. A case study concerning olive cultivation was used for its first verification. The results achieved should be considered as an initial step for the promotion of safer practices when using pesticides, providing a consistent base for their further validation.

A high-throughput test of cell growth inhibition was performed using mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to assess chemical toxicities. We herein demonstrated using a 96-well culture plate approach and the MTT assay that this method was suitable for prioritization of chemicals for their cytotoxic properties. In order to categorize chemicals, we used p53 gene-modified mouse ES cells as well as wild-type ES cells. The p53 gene is a well-known tumor suppressor and controls programmed cell death (apoptosis) and cellular senescence that is triggered by DNA-damaging agents such as alkylating agents and radiation. In the present study, p53-deficient ES cells were found to be more resistant to a tumor initiator, diethylnitrosamine (DEN), than wild-type ES cells, suggesting the inhibition of apoptosis or senescence by a dysfunction in p53. Chromosome aberrations were more frequently detected in p53-deficient ES cells than in wild-type cells, indicating genomic instability due to the deletion of p53. Other tumor initiators, methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU), did not reveal apparent differences in cytotoxicity between wild-type and p53-deficient ES cells. Thus, ES test system using gene-modified ES cells may be used to categorize chemicals by detecting their characteristic effects on apoptosis, genotoxic potentials as well as general cytotoxicity.