Risk of Congenital Malformations Associated with Proximity to Hazardous Waste Sites

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology 1992-06, Vol.135 (11), p.1197-1207
• Main Authors: Geschwind, Sandra A., Stolwijk, Jan A. J., Bracken, Michael, Fitzgerald, Edward, Stark, Alice, Olsen, Carolyn, Melius, James
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: abnormalities; Adolescent; Adult; ANIMALS; Biological and medical sciences; CARCINOGENESIS; CHRONIC EXPOSURE; Confidence Intervals; Congenital Abnormalities - epidemiology; Congenital Abnormalities - etiology; CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS; Databases, Factual; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; ELEMENTS; ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Environmental Pollution - adverse effects; EPIDEMIOLOGY; Female; General aspects; HAZARDOUS MATERIALS; hazardous waste; Hazardous Waste - adverse effects; Humans; Industrial Waste - adverse effects; Infant, Newborn; Male; MALFORMATIONS; MAMMALS; MAN; MANAGEMENT; MATERIALS; Medical sciences; METALS; Metals - adverse effects; NEW YORK; New York - epidemiology; NORTH AMERICA; Odds Ratio; PATHOGENESIS; PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES; PESTICIDES; Pesticides - adverse effects; PETROCHEMICALS; PETROLEUM PRODUCTS; PLASTICS; Plastics - adverse effects; PREGNANCY; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; PRIMATES; RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT; Refuse Disposal; Registries; Residence Characteristics; RISK ASSESSMENT; Risk Factors; SOLVENTS; Solvents - adverse effects; SYNTHETIC MATERIALS; Toxicology; USA; VERTEBRATES; WASTE DISPOSAL; WASTE MANAGEMENT 560300 > Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology; XENOBIOTICS
• ISSN: 0002-9262; 1476-6256
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116226

Concern about environmental pollutants has increased; however, it remains unclear whether chronic exposures to toxic chemicals in the environment occur at doses sufficient to produce adverse health effects in humans. To date, community studies have not adequately addressed this question. In this study, the authors linked two existing data bases of the New York State Department of Health to evaluate the relation between congenital malformations and residential proximity to hazardous waste sites in New York State. A total of 9, 313 newborns with congenital malformations and 17,802 healthy controls living in proximity to 590 hazardous waste sites in 1983 and 1984 were evaluated. After the authors controlled for several possible confounding factors, results indicated that maternal proximity to hazardous waste sites may carry a small additional risk of bearing children with congenital malformations (odds ratio (OR) = 1.12, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.06–1.18). Higher malformation rates were associated with both a higher exposure risk (no exposure risk: OR = 1.00; low exposure risk: OR = 1.09, 95% Cl 1.04–1.15; high exposure risk: OR = 1.63, 95% Cl 1.34–1.99) and documentation of off-site chemical leaks (not exposed: OR = 1.00; exposed, but no leaks at site: OR = 1.08, 95% Cl 1.02–1.15; exposed, and leaks found at site: OR = 1.17, 95% Cl 1.08–1.27). The increased rates detected may be important in terms of their public health implications. Further research is necessary to strenghthen causal inferences regarding the teratogenicity of waste site exposure. Am J Epidemiol 1992; 135: 1197–1207