REPRODUCTIVE CONCERN AMONG FEMALE AND MALE UNITED STATES VETERANS EXPOSED TO ENVIRONMENTAL, CHEMICAL, AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess concern among United States Veterans regarding exposures to environmental, chemical, or hazardous material and the possible impact on their reproductive health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A national sample of female and male US Veterans aged 20-45 completed a computer-assisted telephone interview lasting an average of 1 hour 27 minutes assessing demographics, general and reproductive health, and lifetime and military exposures. Veterans reporting exposure to at least one environmental, chemical, or hazardous material queried were included, and those reporting concern about the effect of an exposure on children they had conceived or may conceive were compared to those who reported no reproductive concerns. T-tests, Chi-square tests, and Fisher's exact test were used to compare demographic and military characteristics between the Veterans reporting and not reporting concern. RESULTS: Of the 1,410 women interviewed, 576 women reported at least one exposure. Of those, 141 women (24.5%) reported concern about the effect of an exposure on the children they conceived or would conceive in the future. The top exposures women Veterans reported reproductive concern about include the anthrax vaccine (28.8%), burn pit (19.8%), chemicals such as solvents (15.8%), asbestos (12.8%), small pox vaccine (12.7%), and prophylactic and preventative medications (12.0%). Women reporting reproductive concerns were more likely to have been deployed (p