SINGAPORE, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Singapore researchers said a father's exposure to hazardous substances at work is more of a factor in a child's birth defect risk than a mother's exposure.
A study in the September edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine looked at all babies born in Singapore from 1994-1998 -- 238,000 infants -- to see whether rates of common birth defects can be linked to parents' occupations.
Researchers from the National University of Singapore found a stronger link with fathers. Babies whose dads were clerical workers were 2.25 times more likely to be born with heart defects, compared to those who worked as senior officers and managers. The risk of heart defects was almost doubled for babies of fathers classified as production craftsmen.
For mothers' occupations, the only significant relationship found was a 3.5 times higher risk of defects for babies born to mothers who were classified as professionals.
The researchers said more studies are needed to clarify whether the links between occupational groups and birth defects may actually reflect social and economic factors, rather than exposure to hazardous substances.
