NERDB is the New and emerging risks database. This bibliographic database is an initiative of Nicole
More information on this database on the NERDB page
On the website we will publish from this month on regular updates on new disease – exposure combinations we added to the database. Currently, we have 265 entries. Ordered by year in which the abstract is published
| 1977 | 1 | 2010 | 11 |
| 1988 | 1 | 2011 | 10 |
| 1995 | 3 | 2012 | 10 |
| 1997 | 1 | 2013 | 13 |
| 1999 | 2 | 2014 | 19 |
| 2002 | 1 | 2015 | 27 |
| 2005 | 2 | 2016 | 21 |
| 2006 | 1 | 2017 | 35 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2018 | 30 |
| 2008 | 5 | 2019 | 45 |
| 2009 | 3 | 2020 | 13 |
| unknown year | 6 |
Last new entries
Spinder N, Prins JR, Bergman JEH, et al. Congenital anomalies in the offspring of occupationally exposed mothers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies using expert assessment for occupational exposures. Hum Reprod. 2019;34(5):903-919. doi:10.1093/humrep/dez033
One important environmental risk factor for the development of congenital anomalies is maternal occupational exposure to chemicals in the workplace prior to and during pregnancy. A number of studies have assessed this association with often conflicting results, possibly due to different occupational exposure assessing methods. The question the researchers try to answer in this study is whether there is an association between maternal occupational exposure to solvents, pesticides, and metals as assessed by expert-based assessment and congenital anomalies in the offspring. The summary answer: There is an association between maternal occupational exposure to solvents and congenital anomalies in the offspring, including neural tube defects, congenital heart defects, and orofacial clefts. Employers and female employees should be aware of the possible teratogenic effects of solvent exposure at the workplace. Therefore, is it important that clinicians and occupational health specialist provide women with preconception advice on occupational solvent exposure, to reduce the congenital anomaly risk.
For this systematic review with meta-analysis, the search terms included maternal occupation, exposure, congenital anomalies and offspring. Electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for English studies up to October 2017. Two reviewers independently screened all citations identified by the search. Case-control studies and cohort studies were included if (I) they reported on the association between maternal occupational exposure to solvents, pesticides or metals and congenital anomalies, and (II) assessment of occupational exposure was performed by experts. Data on study characteristics, confounders, and odds ratios (ORs) were extracted from the included studies for four subgroups of congenital anomalies. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. In the meta-analysis, random-effects models were used to pool estimates. In total, 2806 titles and abstracts and 176 full-text papers were screened. Finally, 28 studies met the selection criteria, and 27 studies could be included in the meta-analysis.
Our meta-analysis showed that maternal occupational exposure to solvents was associated with neural tube defects (OR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.09-2.09) and congenital heart defects (OR: 1.31, 95%CI:1.06-1.63) in the offspring. Also, maternal occupational exposure to glycol ethers, a subgroup of solvents, was associated with neural tube defects (OR: 1.93, 95%CI: 1.17-3.18) and orofacial clefts (OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.38-2.75) in the offspring. Only one study investigated the association between maternal occupational exposure to solvents and hypospadias and found an association (OR: 3.63, 95%CI: 1.94-7.17). The results of the included studies were consistent. In our meta-analysis, we found no associations between occupational exposure to pesticides or metals and congenital anomalies in the offspring.
Because only a limited number of studies were included, there are reasons for caution. The limited numbers made it impossible to calculate pooled estimates for all congenital anomalies, to analyse individual chemicals or calculate exposure-response relations. Bias could have been introduced because not all included studies corrected for potentially confounding factors.
Spinder N, Almli LM, Desrosiers TA, et al Maternal occupational exposure to solvents and gastroschisis in offspring – National Birth Defects Prevention Study 1997–2011 Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2020;77:172-178.
The aim of this study was to assess the association between maternal occupational exposure to solvents and gastroschisis in offspring. The authors used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a large population-based case-control study of major birth defects conducted in 10 US states from 1997 to 2011.
Infants with gastroschisis were ascertained by active birth defects surveillance systems. Control infants without major birth defects were selected from vital records or birth hospital records. Self-reported maternal occupational histories were collected by telephone interview. Industrial hygienists reviewed this information to estimate exposure to aromatic, chlorinated, and petroleum-based solvents from 1 month before conception through the first trimester of pregnancy. Cumulative exposure to solvents was estimated for the same period accounting for estimated exposure intensity and frequency, job duration and hours worked per week. Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals were estimated to assess the association between exposure to any solvents or solvent classes and gastroschisis risk.
Among 879 cases and 7817 controls, the overall prevalence of periconceptional solvent exposure was 7.3% and 7.4%, respectively. Exposure to any solvent versus no exposure to solvents was not associated with gastroschisis after adjusting for maternal age (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.32), nor was an association noted for solvent classes. There was no exposure-response relationship between estimated cumulative solvent exposure and gastroschisis after adjusting for maternal age. The authors conclude that they found no association between maternal occupational solvent exposure and gastroschisis in offspring. Further research is needed to understand risk factors for gastroschisis.
Barnes S, Stuart R, Redley B. Health care worker sensitivity to chlorhexidine-based hand hygiene solutions: A cross-sectional survey. Am J Infect Control. 2019;47(8):933-937. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2019.01.006
In health service hand hygiene programs there is widespread use of chlorhexidine solutions. Reports of both immediate and delayed hypersensitivity to chlorhexidine are increasing among health care workers. This study examined the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of sensitivity to chlorhexidine solutions among health care workers. It is performed as a cross-sectional online anonymous survey of all workers at a single health service.
Of the 1,050 completed responses, 76.3% were female, 35.3% were nurses and midwives, 28% were medical staff, and 8.7% were working in non-clinical areas. Over 95% used chlorhexidine-based hand hygiene products in the workplace. Nurses and midwives most frequently reported asthma (13.7%), contact dermatitis (27.8%), and previous testing for allergy to chlorhexidine (4.9%). There was a correlation between both the presence of atopy, eczema, or dermatitis and the self-reporting of dry skin, eczema, or dermatitis attributed to chlorhexidine use. The authors conclude that occupational chlorhexidine allergy is an important risk to health care workers. Self-reported symptoms of sensitivity to chlorhexidine solutions revealed high reported use and presence of skin symptoms among health care workers. There is a need for screening programs to identify nurses who develop chlorhexidine sensitivity due to occupational exposure. Strategies to mitigate risk should provide alternatives for those with sensitization.
Jonsson E, Järvholm B, Andersson M. Silica dust and sarcoidosis in Swedish construction workers. Occup Med (Lond). 2019;69(7):482-486. doi:10.1093/occmed/kqz118
The aetiology of sarcoidosis is not well established. In previous studies, smoking has been negatively associated with sarcoidosis and there are some indications of an association between exposure to silica dust and sarcoidosis. The objective of this study is to learn more about the risk of sarcoidosis in relation to silica dust exposure. A longitudinal cohort of construction workers was linked with a registry of Swedish inpatient diagnoses. Workers were designated as exposed or unexposed to silica based on job titles in a job-exposure matrix. The relative risk (RR) was analysed with Poisson regression adjusting for age and smoking.
The authors identified 371 cases of sarcoidosis among 297 917 male workers. There was an increased risk of sarcoidosis in the medium- to high-exposure group [RR 1.83 (95% confidence interval {CI} 1.14-2.95)]. A stratified analysis according to smoking showed that ever-smoking workers had an increased risk of sarcoidosis if highly exposed to silica dust [RR 2.44 (95% CI 1.37-4.33)] compared to non-exposed ever-smokers. The risk of non-smokers highly exposed to silica was not significantly increased [RR 1.07 (95% CI 0.72-1.58)] compared to non-exposed non-smokers. The study indicates an increased risk of developing sarcoidosis in ever-smoking men exposed to silica.
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