Occupational and environmental exposure correlates of adverse live-birth outcomes among 1032 US navy women

The integration of women into non-traditional military occupations raises questions concerning the impact of such jobs on women's reproductive health. This study examines the extent to which US Navy women in - their reproductive years report exposures to potential occupational and environmental hazards, and the degree to which such expos(res are associated with self-reported adverse live-birth outcomes. Data from a survey of pregnant Navy women provided both maternal and paternal exposure information on more than 1000 active-duty women. Self-reported exposures to heavy metals, pesticides, petroleum products, and other chemicals were associated with adverse live-bit-th outcomes at the bivariate level. Only a father's exposure to pesticides at work predicted an adverse live-birth outcome (preterm delivery) in multivariate models. Maternal occupational exposures nay exert their influence through maternal health and/or pregnancy complications and may act as mediators of health-reproductive outcome relationships.