Spontaneous abortions among women employed in the metal industry in Finland

Abstract

Spontaneous abortions were analyzed among Finnish metal workers between 1973 and 1976. The information on the workers (35,000 women) was obtained from the files of the Union of Metal Workers; information on the abortions was obtained from the Hospital discharge registry of the National Board of Health. Among metal workers 195 spontaneous abortions were recorded. The proportion of spontaneous abortions was 7.82% (spontaneous abortions/pregnancies, rate) and 13.79% (spontaneous abortions/births, ratio) of which the latter figure was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the respective one among all Finnish women. Both the rate and the ratio were significantly increased upon joining the Union as analyzed from an age-standardized material. A particular risk industry appeared to be the production of radios, televisions, and their components. An exposure to solder fumes was suggested to explain the increased risk.