Central-nervous-system defects in children born to mothers exposed to organic solvents during pregnancy.

In a two-year study of mothers of children with congenital central-nervous-system defects and their matched-pair controls, exposure to noxious influences during pregnancy was analysed. Information on exposure was gained by interviews with all the mothers, sometimes supplemented by visits to their places of work. Significantly more case-mothers than control-mothers had been exposed to organic solvents during the first trimester of pregnancy (p less than 0.01).