Reproductive Health
Protecting your reproductive health is vital to the development of a fetus. In certain work environments there are hazards that could cause reproductive complications, such as exposure to bloodborne pathogens (BBP), ionizing radiation, or chemicals that can cause mutations, cancer or birth defects. It is the supervisor/principal investigator’s (PI) responsibility to inform their staff on any hazards that might pose reproductive health risks.
VCU faculty, staff and students who have concerns about how their job, class or lab duties might impact their reproductive health are advised to talk to their obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) about any potential exposures from their VCU duties. Based on the OB/GYN's advice, they can then contact VCU Employee Relations or VCU Student Affairs for support and next steps.
You can find information about the chemicals used in your workplace in the SciShield ChemTracker or by asking your supervisor/principal investigator for the relevant Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
VCU Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) can also help locate the SDS and assess potential hazards.
Reproductive hazards can be found in various fields and job roles at VCU, some of which are detailed below. To protect yourself, know the potential hazards associated with your VCU responsibilities.
- Biological
- The most common biological reproductive hazard at VCU is exposure to BBP. Protect yourself by following the BBP exposure guidelines.
- BBP training is available to VCU faculty, staff and students via Scishield.
- Some infectious diseases, such as Listeria, measles, mumps and/or rubella, can cause reproductive complications. If you are working with infectious diseases, it is important to check for potential reproductive hazards before possible exposure, especially during crucial stages of reproductive development.
- Chemical
- Chemicals are frequently used in lab settings and by custodial and facilities groups. Common chemicals include, but are not limited to, pesticides, PCBs, methylene chloride, waste anesthetic gases and formaldehyde. Work with your supervisor or PI for an extensive list in your workplace.
- Physical
- Physical hazards can also affect your reproductive system, including overexposure to heat, lifting and hazardous noise levels.
- Radiological
- Radiological hazards are common within imaging and other tasks. Ionizing radiation (e.g., X-rays) are the most common radiological reproductive hazard.
- Separate precautions, such as lead aprons and/or shielding, may be taken if declaring pregnancy while working with radioactive materials, see (VCU Radiation safety webpage here) for additional information on radiological hazards.
Reduce or eliminate hazardous material exposure by:
- Eliminating or substituting the hazard.
- Implementing engineering controls (e.g.,ventilation).
- Implementing administrative controls (e.g., job duty shifts).
- Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as respirators or lead aprons. PPE should be the last resort after other methods.
Supervisors must inform their staff if they are working with items that could pose a reproductive health risk(s). Use the SciShield ChemTracker to learn about potential hazards in the workplace.
- Use the advanced search option to find mutagenic, teratogenic and/or reproductive hazards in the lab.
- Log into Scishield.
- Select your lab.
- Enter ChemTracker.
- Show advanced filters and under “chemical hazards”, choose “suspect carcinogen/mutagen or reproductive hazard.”
- Download the appropriate SDSs.
- Utilize SDSs to stay informed of potential hazards in your work environment.
For further concerns, contact OHS.
Talk to your healthcare provider, your supervisor, and VCU Employee Relations or VCU Student Affairs.
Discuss any potential hazards with your OB/GYN or personal healthcare provider and contact Employee Relations or Student Affairs for possible modifications to reduce or eliminate risk.
- Use engineering controls (e.g., ventilation) and wear PPE, if appropriate.
- After removing gloves, wash your hands before touching anything that may go in your mouth.
- Keep the workplace clean and free of clutter to reduce spill risks.
- Ensure proper disposal of waste and close all chemicals as soon as feasible.
- Workplace exposure to certain chemicals can result in their transfer into a mother's breast milk, raising health concerns for both the mother and their baby. It is important to have proper safety measures and awareness to protect maternal and infant health.