Claessens Thomas, Hougaard Karin Sørig, Ronsmans Steven
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for Environment and Health, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.
J Occup Med Toxicol. 2025 Apr 2;20(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s12995-025-00456-7.
Exposure to workplace chemicals can pose serious risks to reproductive health. The European Union's Pregnant Workers Directive requires risk assessments but lacks clear guidelines for assessing chemical reproductive hazards in workplaces.
This study aims to review how EU member states implement the Pregnant Workers Directive by analysing national guidance documents and relevant literature.
A qualitative review was conducted, combining a systematic literature search with outreach to EU national experts to gather relevant guidance documents. Thematic synthesis identified guiding principles for implementing maternity protection for chemical exposures.
Two main themes were identified: the need for a broad perspective and for certainty in risk assessment. The broad perspective stresses the importance of considering all reproductive hazards, not limited to those listed in the EU Directive and inclusion of male workers and the preconception period, and the potential adverse socio-economic consequences of applied protective measures. The need for certainty highlights the challenges in reliable risk assessments, due to lack of knowledge about chemicals' hazardous properties, dose-response relationships and the level of worker exposure. These themes reveal the complexity of implementing effective maternity protection and the need for improved guidelines across the EU.
This study calls for a unified approach to reproductive health protection, extending beyond pregnancy to include also preconception and paternal exposures. The findings highlight the need to support practitioners in the risk assess process at workplaces in the EU by providing a framework for the assessment of reproductive hazards and determining protective measures.
接触工作场所化学物质会对生殖健康构成严重风险。欧盟的《怀孕工人指令》要求进行风险评估，但缺乏评估工作场所化学物质生殖危害的明确指南。
本研究旨在通过分析国家指导文件和相关文献，回顾欧盟成员国如何实施《怀孕工人指令》。
进行了一项定性综述，将系统文献检索与联系欧盟国家专家以收集相关指导文件相结合。主题综合确定了实施化学物质接触孕产保护的指导原则。
确定了两个主要主题：风险评估需要广阔视角和确定性。广阔视角强调考虑所有生殖危害的重要性，不限于欧盟指令中列出的那些危害，包括男性工人和孕前阶段，以及所应用保护措施可能产生的不利社会经济后果。对确定性的需求凸显了可靠风险评估中的挑战，这是由于对化学物质的有害特性、剂量反应关系和工人接触水平缺乏了解。这些主题揭示了实施有效孕产保护的复杂性以及整个欧盟改进指南的必要性。
本研究呼吁采取统一的生殖健康保护方法，不仅涵盖孕期，还包括孕前和父系接触。研究结果强调需要通过提供生殖危害评估框架和确定保护措施，来支持欧盟工作场所风险评估过程中的从业者。
