OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE AMONG OPERATING ROOM PERSONNEL

Abstract

United States members of the American Academy of Pediatrics served as one of two control groups in a two-year effort by the American Society of Anesthiologists to investigate the health experience of anesthesia and operating room personnel in the United States. A segment of the American Nurses' Association served as the other control group. The results are of interest not only because of the involvement of pediatricians but because of the findings of adverse effects on pregnancy and the offspring where parents are exposed to anesthetic gases. The study was conducted by mailing questionnaires to 49,585 exposed operating room personnel in four professional societies and to 23,911 unexposed individuals in two professional societies serving as a comparison group. For female members of the operating room-exposed group, there was an increased risk of spontaneous abortion and various types of cancer. For both female and male exposed personnel, there was an increased risk of hepatic disease and of congenital malformations in their offspring. No increase in cancer was found in exposed males. Considerable evidence in animal studies supports the hypothesis of a cause-effect relationship between increase in the rates of these diseases and exposure to waste anesthetic gases. The present study is consonant with such a relationship but does not establish it. The report makes a strong recommendation for venting of waste anesthetic gases wherever used.