Background: Few studies have evaluated birth defects among children of firefighters. We investigated associations between birth defects and paternal work as a firefighter compared to work in non‐firefighting and police officer occupations.Methods: We analyzed 1997–2011 data from the multi‐site case‐control National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Cases included fetuses or infants with major structural birth defects and controls included a random sample of live‐born infants without major birth defects. Mothers of infants self‐reported information about parents' occupations held during pregnancy. We investigated associations between paternal firefighting and birth defect groups using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Referent groups included families reporting fathers working non‐firefighting and police officer jobs.Results: Occupational groups included 227 firefighters, 36,285 non‐firefighters, and 433 police officers. Twenty‐nine birth defects were analyzed. In adjusted analyses, fathers of children with total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR; OR = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.1–8.7), cleft palate (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.0–3.3), cleft lip (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.2–4.2), and transverse limb deficiency (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1–4.7) were more likely than fathers of controls to be firefighters, versus non‐firefighters. In police‐referent analyses, fathers of children with cleft palate were 2.4 times more likely to be firefighters than fathers of controls (95% CI = 1.1–5.4).Conclusions: Paternal firefighting may be associated with an elevated risk of birth defects in offspring. Additional studies are warranted to replicate these findings. Further research may contribute to a greater understanding of the reproductive health of firefighters and their families for guiding workplace practices.

Objective: The aim of the study was to describe characteristics of women with a recent live birth who are, and are not, asked about their work by healthcare providers before pregnancy. Methods: We analyzed 2016–2021 data from 48 jurisdictions participating in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Questionnaires asked mothers about provider-led conversations about their work. We descriptively compared weighted percentages with 95% confidence intervals across demographic and occupational characteristics. Results: Of 157,724 participants, 36% reported not being asked about their work by a provider in the year before pregnancy. Higher proportions of younger and lower-income mothers, certain Asian and Native groups, and mothers in some occupations and industries posing a risk of occupational hazards reported no provider-led conversations about their work. Conclusions: Healthcare providers can more routinely ask patients about work to assess for possible occupational hazards to pregnancy.

Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall in southern Louisiana in August of 2021, causing widespread wind damage and flooding. The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to post-hurricane mold exposure and cleanup among residents and workers in areas of Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ida and assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices that have occurred over the past 16 years since Hurricane Katrina. We conducted in-person interviews with 238 residents and 68 mold-remediation workers in areas in and around New Orleans to ask about their mold cleanup knowledge and practices, personal protective equipment use, and risk perceptions related to mold. Knowledge of recommended safety measures increased since the post-Katrina survey but adherence to recommended safety measures did not. Many residents and some workers reported using insufficient personal protective equipment when cleaning up mold despite awareness of the potential negative health effects of mold exposure.

We used National Birth Defects Prevention Study data to investigate associations between working patterns shortly before and during pregnancy and gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related hypertension. We analyzed working patterns (multiple-job holders, job changers, single-job holders) during the three months before and during pregnancy for 8140 participants who delivered a live-born child without a birth defect. “Multiple-job holders” worked more than one job simultaneously, “job changers” worked more than one job with no overlap, and “single-job holders” (referent) worked one job. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate associations between working pattern and each outcome, adjusting for maternal age and educational attainment at delivery. We explored effect measure modification by household income, peak weekly working hours, and maternal race/ethnicity. Multiple-job holders had higher odds of gestational diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–2.1) and pregnancy-related hypertension (aOR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0–2.2) compared with single-job holders. Multiple-job holders with a household income of more than 30,000 USD per year, 32–44 peak weekly working hours, and from racial/ethnic minority groups had higher odds of gestational diabetes compared with single-job holders in respective categories. Detailed occupational information is important for studies of occupation and maternal health.