Maternal occupational noise exposure during pregnancy and children's early language acquisition.

Introduction: Noise exposure during pregnancy may affect a child's auditory system, which may disturb fetal learning and language development. We examined the impact of occupational noise exposure during pregnancy on children's language acquisition at the age of one.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted among women working in the food industry, as kindergarten teachers, musicians, dental nurses, or pharmacists who had a child aged <1 year.

Parkinson's disease and occupational exposure to organic solvents in Finland: a nationwide case-control study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and occupational exposure to organic solvents generally and chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHC) in particular.

Methods: We assembled a Finland-wide case-control study for birth years 1930-1950 by identifying incident PD cases from the register of Reimbursement of Medical Costs and drawing two controls per case using incidence density sampling from the Population Information System, matched on sex, birth year, and residency in Finland in 1980-2014. Occupation and socioeconomic status (SES) were identified from national censuses.

Lung cancer incidence among workers biologically monitored for occupational exposure to lead: a cohort study.

Objective: Earlier studies have reported increased risks of lung, kidney and brain cancers for exposure to lead. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Working Group evaluated inorganic lead and its compounds probably carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to assess the association between blood lead level in occupational exposure and risk of lung cancer.

Solvent exposed occupations and risk of Parkinson disease in Finland.

Introduction: Epidemiologic and toxicology studies suggest that exposure to various solvents, especially chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents, might increase Parkinson disease (PD) risk.

Methods: In a population-based case-control study in Finland, we examined whether occupations with potential for solvent exposures were associated with PD. We identified newly diagnosed cases age 45-84 from a nationwide medication reimbursement register in 1995-2014.

Cancer incidence among workers with blood lead measurements in two countries.

Objective: Study carcinogenicity of inorganic lead, classified as 'probably carcinogenic' to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (brain, lung, kidney and stomach).

Methods: We conducted internal and external analyses for cancer incidence in two cohorts of 29 874 lead-exposed workers with past blood lead data (Finland, n=20 752, Great Britain=9122), with 6790 incident cancers. Exposure was maximum measured blood lead.

Manual handling of burdens as a predictor of birth outcome-a Finnish Birth Register Study.

Background: Negative effects of manual handling of burdens on pregnancy outcomes are not elucidated in Finland. This study examines the association between perinatal outcomes and occupational exposure to manual handling of burdens.

Methods: The study cohort was identified from the Finnish Medical Birth Register (MBR, 1997-2014) and information on exposure from the Finnish job-exposure matrix (FINJEM) 1997-2009.

Cancer mortality in an international cohort of reinforced plastics workers exposed to styrene: a reanalysis.

Objective: To investigate the carcinogenicity of styrene by reanalysing data from a previous international cohort study of workers in the reinforced plastics industry.

Methods: Mortality from cancers of prior interest was analysed with more detailed consideration of exposure-response relations and an updated classification of leukaemias and lymphomas in data from a previous international cohort study of 37 021 reinforced plastics workers exposed to airborne styrene.

Results: Increased mortality from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) was associated with the mean level of exposure to styrene in air (relative risk (RR) 2.

A pilot study on the reproductive risks of maternal exposure to magnetic fields from electronic article surveillance systems.

Purpose: We investigated the feasibility of a large-scale epidemiological study on reproductive effects of intermediate frequency (IF) magnetic field (MF) exposure among cashiers working near electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems.

Materials And Methods: The study cohort included 4157 women who had worked as cashiers in supermarkets with EAS devices (considered as exposed) or grocery stores without EAS devices (considered as unexposed) between 2008 and 2015. 536 births and 38 miscarriages occurred among these women during the study period, based on information from nationwide health registries.

A cohort mortality study of lead-exposed workers in the USA, Finland and the UK.

Objectives: To investigate further whether inorganic lead is a carcinogen among adults, or associated with increased blood pressure and kidney damage, via a large mortality study.

Methods: We conducted internal analyses via Cox regression of mortality in three cohorts of lead-exposed workers with blood lead (BL) data (USA, Finland, UK), including over 88 000 workers and over 14 000 deaths. Our exposure metric was maximum BL.

Paternal occupational lead exposure and offspring risks for schizophrenia.

This register-based cohort study investigated whether paternal occupational exposure to inorganic lead was related to offspring risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Exposed men (n=11,863) were identified from blood lead measurements taken at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 1973-1983. Data on mothers and their offspring born from 1972-1984 were obtained from the national Population Information System.

Selection bias due to parity-conditioning in studies of time trends in fertility.

Background: Studies of couple fertility over time have often examined study populations with broad age ranges at a cross-section of time. An increase in fertility has been observed in studies that followed episodes of fertility events either prospectively among nulliparous women or retrospectively among parous women. Fertility has a biological effect on parity.

Risk of schizophrenia and minority status: a comparison of the Swedish-speaking minority and the Finnish-speaking majority in Finland.

Approximately five percent of the Finnish population are Swedish-speaking and have higher socioeconomic position and longer life expectancy than the Finnish-speaking majority. Previous studies have not investigated whether Swedish-speaking Finns have lower risk of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) than Finnish-speaking Finns. We investigated this in a representative sample of 47 445 Finns born in 1972-1984.

Increased risk of human parvovirus B19 infection in day-care employees: a cohort study among pregnant workers during an epidemic in Finland.

Background: Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection during early pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage. Studies have inconsistently shown an elevated risk of infection among women with occupational contacts with children. Methodological differences, particularly in defining occupational exposure and in the type of reference group, may explain the conflicting findings.

Risk of cancer among workers exposed to trichloroethylene: analysis of three Nordic cohort studies.

Background: Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widely used chlorinated solvent with demonstrated carcinogenicity in animal assays. Some epidemiologic studies have reported increased risk of cancer of the kidney, cervix, liver and biliary passages, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We established a pooled cohort, including 5553 workers with individual documented exposure to TCE in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.

Fecundability among newly married couples in agricultural villages in Palestine: a prospective study.

Background: The validity of studies on fecundability in Western countries has been questioned. The complexity of societal and cultural factors makes it difficult to dissect pure biological impact. Our aim was to assess couple fecundability in a population which to a large degree is unaffected by the same socio-cultural influences.

Pregnancy outcomes among daycare employees in Finland.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether working as a daycare employee increases the risk of perinatal death, pre-term birth, low birth weight, smallness for gestational age, or congenital malformations.

Methods: We conducted a register-based cohort study among daycare employees and women from various occupations of healthcare (reference group). Study subjects were identified from the files of Finnish trade unions and the National Authority for Medicolegal Affairs.

Risk of liver cancer and exposure to organic solvents and gasoline vapors among Finnish workers.

We investigated the association between exposure to various groups of solvents and gasoline vapors and liver cancer. A cohort of economically active Finns born between 1906 and 1945 was followed up during the period 1971-1995. The incident cases of primary liver cancer (n = 2474) were identified in a record linkage with the Finnish Cancer Registry.

Parvovirus b19 infection in fetal deaths.

Background: Parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy can lead to nonimmune fetal hydrops, miscarriage, and intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). Some studies have suggested that parvovirus B19 infection may surprisingly often result in nonhydropic fetal death during the third trimester, in the absence of maternal serological evidence of acute infection. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of parvovirus B19 DNA among fetuses from miscarriages and IUFDs.

Occupational exposure in dentistry and miscarriage.

Background: Information on the reproductive effects of chemical exposures in dental work is sparse or inconsistent.

Aim: To investigate whether dental workers exposed to acrylate compounds, mercury amalgam, solvents or disinfectants are at an increased risk of miscarriage.

Methods: The study was conducted among women dental workers and a comparison group of workers occupationally unexposed to dental restorative materials.

Reduced fertility among overweight and obese men.

Background: Overweight and obese men have been reported to have lower sperm counts and hormonal changes, but data are lacking regarding effects on couple fertility.

Methods: We examined the relationship between male body mass index (BMI) and infertility in couples enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study in the United States. The analysis sample was limited to couples (wife <40 years old) with an attempt at pregnancy in the last 4 years based on pregnancy and fertility data provided by wives.

Has human fertility declined over time?: why we may never know.

Background: Reports of decreased semen quality over time have raised concerns about possible reductions in human fertility. Studies of couple fertility have produced conflicting results. We evaluate how changes in the availability and use of effective contraception and induced abortion might bias the direct study of time trends in couple fertility.