{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T18:55:23Z","timestamp":1789757723125,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"12","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Occup Environ Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1997,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between spontaneous abortion and work within dry cleaning units in the United Kingdom where the solvent perchloroethylene is used. METHODS: A retrospective occupational study of reproductive outcome in 7305 women aged 16 and 45 years, who were currently or previously employed in dry cleaning or laundry units in the United Kingdom. Data on workplace exposures and reproductive outcome were obtained by postal survey. A sample of reported spontaneous abortions was validated from medical records. Machine operator versus non-operator was used as a surrogate for exposure to perchloroethylene in dry cleaning units as no data on individual doses were available for women in this study. RESULTS: The response rate was higher for current workers of dry cleaning units (78%), than for past workers of dry cleaning units (46%). Similarly, the response for current laundry workers (65%) was higher than that for past laundry workers (40%). Overall, the reproductive characteristics of the respondents were similar to expectation. Examination of exposure at the time of pregnancy, however, showed that the rate of spontaneous abortion varied according to the type of work the women did during the pregnancy or in the three months before conception: being lowest for pregnancies not exposed to either dry cleaning or laundry work (10.9%), higher for those exposed to laundry work (13.4%), and higher still for those exposed to dry cleaning work (14.8%). Within the group of pregnancies exposed to dry cleaning, the proportion was higher if the woman reported that she worked as an operator at the time of the pregnancy (17.1%) rather than as a non-operator (11.6%). Adjusted odds ratios for the period 1980-95 showed that the risk was over 50% higher in operators than non-operators (p = 0.04). The physical demands of the two jobs are likely to be similar. A higher risk was found when work as a dry cleaning operator was compared with no work in either dry cleaning or laundry units during pregnancy. Exposure to dry cleaning as a non-operator was not associated with any excess risk. CONCLUSIONS: Women who worked in dry cleaning shops at the time of their pregnancy or in the three months before who described themselves as operators were about half as likely again to report that their pregnancy ended in a spontaneous abortion than women who described themselves as non-operators.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/oem.54.12.848","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,12,16]],"date-time":"2008-12-16T19:14:48Z","timestamp":1229454888000},"page":"848-853","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":62,"title":["Spontaneous abortion in dry cleaning workers potentially exposed to perchloroethylene."],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"54","author":[{"given":"P","family":"Doyle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E","family":"Roman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"V","family":"Beral","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M","family":"Brookes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1997,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01274131","article-title":"Spontaneous abortion among female chemical workers in Finland","volume":"45","author":"Hemminki, K.; Franssila, E.; Vainio, H.","year":"1980","unstructured":"Hemminki K, Franssila E, Vainio H. Spontaneous abortion among female chemical workers in Finland. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1980;45:123-6.","journal-title":"Int Arch Occup Environ Health"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"370","DOI":"10.1093\/oxfordjournals.aje.a113901","article-title":"Parental occupational exposure and spontaneous abortion in Finland","volume":"120","author":"Lindbolm, M.L.; Hemminki, K.; Kyyronen, P.","year":"1984","unstructured":"Lindbolm ML, Hemminki K, Kyyronen P. Parental occupational exposure and spontaneous abortion in Finland. AmJ Epidemiology 1984;120:370-8.","journal-title":"AmJ Epidemiology"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"1115","article-title":"Transplacental carcinogens and mutagens: childhood cancer, malformations and abortions as risk indicators. J7 Toxicol Environ","volume":"6","author":"Hemminki, K.; Saliniemi, I.; Luoma, K.","year":"1980","unstructured":"Hemminki K, Saliniemi I, Luoma K, et al. Transplacental carcinogens and mutagens: childhood cancer, malformations and abortions as risk indicators. J7 Toxicol Environ Health 1980;6:1115-26.","journal-title":"Health"},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"79","article-title":"Reproductive hazards and plastics industry","volume-title":"Industrial hazards of plastics and synthetic elastomers","author":"Hemminki, K.; Lindbolm, M.L.; Hemminki, E.","year":"1984","unstructured":"Hemminki K, Lindbolm ML, Hemminki E, et al. Reproductive hazards and plastics industry. In: Jaervisalo J, ed. Industrial hazards of plastics and synthetic elastomers. New York: AR Liss, 1984:79-87."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"346","article-title":"Spontaneous abortion and congenital malformations among women exposed to tetrachloroethylene in dry cleaning. J7 Epidemiol","volume":"43","author":"Kyyronen, P.; Taskinen, H.; Lindbolm, M.L.","year":"1989","unstructured":"Kyyronen P, Taskinen H, Lindbolm ML, et al. Spontaneous abortion and congenital malformations among women exposed to tetrachloroethylene in dry cleaning. J7 Epidemiol Community Health 1989;43:346-5 1.","journal-title":"Community Health"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.5271\/sjweh.1800","article-title":"Low birthweight, congenital malformations among dry-cleaning workers in Scandinavia","volume":"16","author":"Olsen, J.; Hemminki, K.; Ahlborg, G.","year":"1990","unstructured":"Olsen J, Hemminki K, Ahlborg G, et al. Low birthweight, congenital malformations among dry-cleaning workers in Scandinavia. ScandJ Work Environ Health 1990;16:163-8.","journal-title":"ScandJ Work Environ Health"},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"295","article-title":"Health and reproductive status of female workers in dry cleaning shops","volume":"59","author":"Bosco, M.G.; Figa-Talamanca, I.; Salerno, S.","year":"1980","unstructured":"Bosco MG, Figa-Talamanca I, Salerno S. Health and reproductive status of female workers in dry cleaning shops. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1980;59:295-301.","journal-title":"Int Arch Occup Environ Health"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"241","DOI":"10.1002\/ajim.4700200210","article-title":"Exposure to organic solvents and adverse pregnancy outcome","volume":"20","author":"Windham, G.; Shusterman, D.; Swan, S.","year":"1991","unstructured":"Windham G, Shusterman D, Swan S, et al. Exposure to organic solvents and adverse pregnancy outcome. Am J Ind Med 1991;20:241-59.","journal-title":"Am J Ind Med"},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"521","article-title":"Occupation and pregnancy outcome","volume":"44","author":"McDonald, A.D.; McDonald, J.C.; Armstrong, B.","year":"1987","unstructured":"McDonald AD, McDonald JC, Armstrong B, et al. Occupation and pregnancy outcome. BrJ Ind Med 1987;44:521-6.","journal-title":"BrJ Ind Med"},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"1232","article-title":"Spontaneous abortion and occupation","volume":"28","author":"McDonald, A.D.; Armstrong, B.; Cherry, N.","year":"1986","unstructured":"McDonald AD, Armstrong B, Cherry N, et al. Spontaneous abortion and occupation. J Occup Med 1986;28:1232-8.","journal-title":"J Occup Med"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.1136\/oem.53.2.73","article-title":"Health of children born to medical radiographers","volume":"53","author":"Roman, E.; Doyle, P.; Ansell, P.","year":"1996","unstructured":"Roman E, Doyle P, Ansell P, et al. Health of children born to medical radiographers. Occup Environ Med 1996;53:73-9","journal-title":"Occup Environ Med"},{"key":"ref_12","article-title":"Statistical methods in cancer research. Vol 1. The analysis ofcase-control studies","author":"Breslow, N.E.; Day, N.E.","year":"82.)","unstructured":"Breslow NE, Day NE. Statistical methods in cancer research. Vol 1. The analysis ofcase-control studies. Lyons: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1980. (IARC Sci Publ No 82.)"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"70","DOI":"10.1093\/oxfordjournals.epirev.a036309","article-title":"The epidemiology of ectopic pregnancy","volume":"9","author":"Wong, H.O.C.; Daling, J.; Cates, W.","year":"1987","unstructured":"Wong HOC, Daling J, Cates W, et al. The epidemiology of ectopic pregnancy. Epidemiol Rev 1987;9:70-94.","journal-title":"Epidemiol Rev"},{"key":"ref_14","article-title":"Population Censuses and Surveys. Cancer statistics 1985","author":"Office of","year":"1985","unstructured":"Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Cancer statistics 1985. London: OPCS, 1985. (OPCS Series MB 1 No 18.)"},{"key":"ref_15","article-title":"Occupational exposure to perchloroethylene in the dry-cleaning industry in the UK [monograph]. Fabric Care","author":"Edmondson, G.K.; Palin, M.J.","year":"1993","unstructured":"Edmondson GK, Palin MJ. Occupational exposure to perchloroethylene in the dry-cleaning industry in the UK [monograph]. Fabric Care Research Association (FCRA), 1993."}],"container-title":["Occupational and Environmental Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/oem.54.12.848","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,23]],"date-time":"2024-05-23T12:26:30Z","timestamp":1716467190000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/oem.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/oem.54.12.848"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1997,12]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1997,12,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1997,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/oem.54.12.848"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/oem.54.12.848","relation":{},"ISSN":["1351-0711","1470-7926"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1351-0711","type":"print"},{"value":"1470-7926","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1997,12]]}}}