Parental occupational exposure and congenital heart diseases in a Hungarian case–control study

• Published in: International archives of occupational and environmental health Vol. 94; no. 3; pp. 515 - 527
• Main Authors: Fazekas-Pongor, Vince, Fekete, Mónika, Csáky-Szunyogh, Melinda, Cseh, Károly, Pénzes, Melinda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-04-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abnormalities; Biological effects; Biomonitoring; Cardiovascular diseases; Congenital diseases; Coronary artery disease; Defects; Earth and Environmental Science; Endocrine disruptors; Environment; Environmental Health; Environmental monitoring; Exposure; Heart diseases; Heavy metals; Infants; Obstructions; Occupational exposure; Occupational health; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Offspring; Original; Original Article; Parents; Pesticides; Phthalates; Regression analysis; Rehabilitation; Solvents; Ventricle; Endocrine disruptor; Congenital heart disease; Occupational exposure; Retrospective exposure assessment; Maternal exposure; Paternal exposure
• ISSN: 0340-0131; 1432-1246
• DOI: 10.1007/s00420-020-01589-4

Purpose
Our study aimed to explore the effect of parental occupational exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on the development of congenital heart diseases (CHDs) in the offspring, and to compare job-exposure matrix (JEM)-assessed and self-reported occupational exposures with each other.
Methods
Live-born infants born in 2007–2008 were selected from the population-based Hungarian Case–Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities Study. 577 cases with any CHDs were compared to 1731 matched controls. Parental periconceptional occupational exposure to EDCs was assessed by a JEM and by questionnaire-based self-reporting of parents. Multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore associations between parental occupational exposure to EDCs and the entire spectrum of CHDs and by CHD subtypes in the offspring. Kappa statistics were also performed to determine the consistency among JEM-assessed and self-reported occupational exposure of parents.
Results
JEM-assessed paternal exposure to polychlorinated organic substances, phthalates, biphenolic compounds, and solvents were significantly associated with the entire spectrum of CHDs. Ventricular septal defects were significantly associated with paternal self-reported exposure to pesticides, while atrial septal defects were significantly associated to paternal JEM-assessed phthalate exposure. Paternal solvent exposure was significantly associated with atrial septal defects and right ventricle outflow tract obstructions. JEM-assessed and self-reported exposures to pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents exhibited poor agreement for mothers and slight agreement for fathers.
Conclusion
Even though parental occupational exposure to EDCs seems to have a minor impact on the occurrence of CHDs, the results of biological and environmental monitoring should be taken into consideration as well.