Is carbon monoxide a workplace teratogen? A review and evaluation of the literature.

Sixty case reports of carbon monoxide exposures involving pregnant women are reviewed. The circumstances under which carbon monoxide exposures adversely affected pregnancy and the types of effects seen are summarized. Severe acute exposures to carbon monoxide caused foetal death or toxic effects, including anatomical malformations and functional alterations. Foetal outcome was related to two major indices of carbon monoxide exposure: maternal blood carboxyhaemoglobin levels and maternal toxicity.