Pregnant women who abuse solvents—for example, by sniffing glue—sometimes have babies with developmental problems and birth defects. But less is known about low-level exposure in the workplace. Researchers in Toronto looked at the effects of that long-term exposure on children.

What the researchers wanted to know: Do children whose mothers worked around solvents when they were pregnant have more developmental problems than other children?

What they did: The researchers used the Motherisk Program, a service that counsels mothers and doctors about risks during pregnancy and breastfeeding. More than 200,000 mothers were counseled through the program between 1989 and 1998; the researchers asked moms who'd been exposed to organic solvents at work during pregnancy if they wanted to join the study. Thirty-two did, and they were matched with 32 women who also went through the program and were about the same age, had a child of the same sex at about the same time, were of similar socioeconomic status, and smoked, or didn't, depending on what the exposed mother did. The researchers, who were looking mainly at IQ and language ability, gave each child and mother tests to measure neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning.

What they found: Children whose mothers had been exposed to solvents during pregnancy had lower IQ scores (especially for verbal IQ) than children whose mothers weren't exposed. They also had more trouble with dexterity, coordination, and hyperactivity.

What the study means to you: Being exposed to organic solvents during pregnancy, even at low levels, seems to affect children's development. The differences weren't enormous, but they were big enough to measure.

Caveats: This study couldn't distinguish which chemicals caused a problem; mothers worked in jobs from funeral director to salon receptionist, and were exposed to dozens of organic solvents. Some women—for example, chemists—might have used many, while others were exposed to only one or two.

Find out more: The Motherisk Program has information on risks during pregnancy.

Read the article: Laslo-Baker, D., et al. "Child Neurodevelopmental Outcome and Maternal Occupational Exposure to Solvents." Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. October 2004, Vol. 158, pp. 956–961.

Abstract online: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org