Solvents, and Thinners, and Germs! Oh, My!

I write to you this month from the far reaches of maternity leave. After giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, I'd like to comment on hazards in the workplace during pregnancy. We're all likely to admit that there are times when we ought to use personal protection equipment, such as gloves, masks, and aprons, but we don't. However, for P&O workers who are pregnant or who are considering becoming pregnant, the question of possible hazards comes to the forefront.

The most acknowledged workplace hazards in the P&O workplace are the chemicals used daily. Solvents, thinners, and resins contain nasty chemicals. Basically, if it smells strong, protect yourself. However, what I found most surprising is that not all of the protection you need is readily available. Some examples follow.

Acetone: Acetone enters the bloodstream through the skin. As with alcohol, the liver has to work hard to clean it out. For those of us with healthy livers, there are usually no problems. But since babies share their mothers' bloodstream, it's better for pregnant women to be cautious. It's important to know that vinyl and latex gloves break down in acetone in less than ten seconds. Nitrile gloves are better, but they break down after about ten minutes of exposure. The best protection I have found are special chemical gloves or thin rubber gloves. Solvents and thinners: Most studies indicate that pregnant women should limit their exposure to solvents and thinners. While all P&O labs should have ventilation systems that meet safety standards to reduce hazards from chemical fumes, you can choose to use a chemical respirator for added protection. Dust masks offer little or no protection from chemical fumes. From my own experience, I found the chemical respirator to be a bit cumbersome, and it was hard to have it on hand every time I needed it. I used my respirator whenever my coworkers or I used large quantities of glue. If you are pregnant, your nose will know when you should exit the room or use a respirator mask. I honestly feel that the biggest hazards I faced during my pregnancy weren't from chemical exposure, but from day-to-day patient care.

Germs: Pregnant women tend to catch colds more frequently—at least I sure did—and healthcare workers are exposed to even more germs. New moms often become germophobes—cleaning and disinfecting everything after their baby arrives—but starting the cleaning habit before the baby comes may save a few sniffles during pregnancy! Doing too much: While on the job, I hardly noticed when I had to climb a ladder, get down on the floor to take a cast, or help lift or turn a patient to put on a spinal orthosis. My co-workers and my patients were careful to keep me from doing these things so I wouldn't injure myself. I felt great, so it seemed like there would be no problem continuing what I did every day. Luckily, I never hurt myself on the job, but toward the end of my pregnancy, I tired easily. My biggest challenge was remembering that I needed to stop, sit, rest, and eat occasionally, even if my schedule was packed and hectic; otherwise, I'd be completely wiped out by the end of the day. Thankfully, no one minded, and everyone encouraged me to take breaks if I was going too fast.

I don't want to minimize the importance of personal protective equipment in the P&O workplace because the chemicals we use can be hazardous; however, these chemicals are hazardous to everyone, not just pregnant women. I quickly learned that chemicals weren't the only hazard I'd come across. It took me a long time to admit to myself that being pregnant meant I couldn't push myself as hard. Not slowing down and failing to ask for help caused me trouble as well. Overall, as long as I was sure to take care of myself and take it easy, I could keep my new baby and myself healthy and happy.

Stephanie LeGare is a graduate of the master of science in prosthetics and orthotics program at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Atlanta. She is a resident at the National Orthotics and Prosthetics Company (NOPCO), Boston, Massachusetts, and will be sharing her experiences as she completes her first year as an orthotics resident.

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