The price we may pay for “progress".........PCB (plastic industry) causes mental retardation

Insufficient folic acid, alcohol, and rubella are three leading causes of preventable births defects (CDC-USA).

 Since in developed populations women participate more into 

the labor force than in underdeveloped ones, occupational risks for the fetus are more important in the former than in the latter. 

Occupational exposures

Female workers, as compared with housewives, are at reproductive risk for subfertility, miscarriages, and birth defects. In spite of being nonspecific, this risk seems 

to be real. Lead (battery & printing industries) causes mental retardation. 
PCB (plastic industry) causes mental retardation.

 Shortwave (physiotherapist) causes miscarriage.

Savitz DA, Olshan AF, 
Gallagher K (1996) Maternal occupation and pregnancy outcome. Epidemiology 
7:269-274.