Studies have demonstrated adverse health effects among the children and families of people who work in industries where they are exposed to lead, mercury or asbestos.

Occupational Exposure

Do parents’ occupations involve metals, dust, chemicals or fibres?

Hazardous exposures can happen in the workplace, and workers can inadvertently bring contaminants home and expose family members. Work that involves contact with metals, dust, chemicals or fibres is potentially of concern. If the worker involved in such an occupation does not take appropriate protective measures, or if they do not change clothing (including shoes) and shower at work, such contaminants can be transferred to the home environment. There they may turn up in indoor air or house dust, two potential routes of exposure for children in the home. Therefore, it is important to determine the occupation of parents.

For example,

• Studies have demonstrated adverse health effects among the children and families of people who work in industries where they are exposed to lead, mercury or asbestos. Exposure to lead or asbestos may occur to someone in the home-renovation business or in auto body repair and car brake repair.
• People exposed to pesticides through their work (either in lawn care, agriculture or handling of agricultural products) also show a higher incidence of reproductive problems and certain congenital anomalies in their offspring.6,7
• Pregnant women exposed occupationally to solvents (as found in paints, adhesives, cleaners, and many other products, dry cleaning establishments, hair salons, cleaning jobs and auto body shops, etc.), have significantly greater risk of their babies being born with a major malformation.8 This is especially problematic in the first trimester of pregnancy.

What sort of work-related exposures might the young adult patient have?

With adolescent patients, they may themselves be directly exposed to such hazardous substances and to other environmental factors through their job, volunteer work or school activities. Physicians should inquire about the nature of their job, the potential exposures and conditions of their work.

For example, they may have exposure to:

• Ultraviolet radiation with outdoor work
• Toxic chemicals in cleaning products if they have clean-up duties
• Noise from operating equipment such as lawn mowers, tractors or in factory work
• Second-hand smoke from working in a restaurant or bar
• Lead from home-renovation work or auto body repair work
• Dusts from wood sawing
• Chemicals and dyes in cosmetology
• Pesticides in lawn-care work and farm work
• Benzene (potentially) from pumping gas

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