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American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 148, No. 2: 173-181
Copyright © 1998 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

research-article

Does Paternal Occupational Lead Exposure Increase the Risks of Low Birth Weight or Prematurity?

Shao Lin1,, Syni-An Hwang1, Elizabeth G Marshall2 and Dave Marion2

1Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, New York State Department of Health Albany, NY
2Bureau of Occupational Health, New York State Department of Health Albany, NY

Reprint requests to Dr. Shao Lin, New York State Department of Health, 1215 Western Ave, Room 105, Albany, Ny 12203

The relation between paternal occupational lead exposure and low birth weight/prematurity was examined in a retrospective cohort study. Birth weight and gestational age (1981–1992), obtained from New York State birth certificates, were compared between lead-exposed and nonexposed workers. The exposed group (n = 4,256) consisted of births to male workers of reproductive age reported to the New York State Heavy Metals Registry. The control group (n = 2,318) consisted of the offspring of a random sample of male bus drivers, frequency matched by age and residence. There were no statistically significant differences in birth weight or gestational age between the exposed and the control groups. However, workers who had elevated blood lead levels for more than 5 years had a higher risk of fathering a child with low birth weight (risk ratio = 3.85, 95% confidence interval 1.5–9.88) or prematurity (risk ratio = 2.45, 95% confidence interval 1.03–5.84) than did controls after adjustment for paternal age, low maternal education, race, residence, gravidity, maternal spontaneous abortion history, perinatal complications, adequacy of prenatal care, and infant gender. The risks of low birth weight and prematurity increased with the duration of exposure to lead. Our results were limited by the inability to control for some potential confounders, such as pregravid underweight and maternal nutrition status. Am J Epidemiol 1998;148:173–81.

infant; low birth weight; infant; premature; lead; men; occupational exposure


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