Jennifer’s headaches resolve.
The occupational health specialist asks you to explore with Jennifer the options for transferring out of the lab to a less toxic work environment, bearing in mind her legal rights and the potential for job loss or discrimination. You write a letter to Jennifer’s employer identifying NMP as a potential reproductive toxicant, highlighting the importance of avoiding reproductive toxicants, and the need to transfer Jennifer to a job without such exposure while she is trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy.
The employer transfers Jennifer to a position with less toxic exposure and invests in additional safety equipment for Jennifer and other employees. Had no other jobs been available, Jennifer might have decided to continue in the same job with improved protection. After the transfer, Jennifer’s headaches resolve.
This case illustrates that exposures to reproductive toxicants can occur at the workplace. With understanding and appropriate information, health care providers can advocate for their patients and make specific workplace recommendations that reduce the risk of exposure to reproductive toxicants.
*Case study adapted from GENERATIONS AT RISK: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT, published by The MIT Press.7
Medically Related Exposures:
Choose one (1):
Case A: Jan was a nurse at the Lydecker Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. She worked the night shift in the communicable diseases ward.
One evening a 28 year old male (Jason) was brought to the ward in a confused condition. His chart indicated that he had AIDS and hepatitis C and was presently recovering from acute alcohol poisoning.
Toward the end of her shift Jan was doing patient assessment. Upon entering Jason’s room Jan approached the bed to determine Jason’s vitals (blood pressure, temperature, etc.). Upon waking Jason became extremely agitated, verbally and then physically abusive. Jan, in an attempt to calm the patient, gently put her hand on his shoulder, which he then grabbed and proceeded to bite Jan several times, drawing blood and requiring 36 stitches.
Case B: Jacob works as an infectious disease analyst at a local hospital. While he is a physician, his job is largely administrative in that he analyzes data on suspected nosocomial (hospital induced) infections. He notes that beginning the third week in March that three patients developed pneumonia after being in the hospital between 5-7 days. Both were immunologically compromised. Two patients developed surgical site infections. During the fourth week in March he noted that two nurses had come down with pneumonia and one had come down with a skin condition. Suspecting MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) a full evaluation of hospital protocol was initiated. It was found that the all patients to have come down with MRSA related illnesses been interviewed by the same intake personnel. All nurses who had become ill had attended the ill patients. It was later determined that the intake person was a carrier of MRSA.
