Associations between cumulative environmental quality and ten selected birth defects in Texas
[1];
[2];
[3];
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Postdoctoral Fellow at United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Research Triangle Park North Carolina USA, US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center of Public Health and Environmental Assessment Research Triangle Park North Carolina USA
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center of Public Health and Environmental Assessment Research Triangle Park North Carolina USA
- Texas Department of State Health Services, Birth Defects Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch Austin Texas USA, Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences University of Texas School of Public Health – Austin Regional Campus Austin Texas USA
- OHSU‐PSU School of Public Health Portland Oregon USA
Abstract Background Causes of most birth defects are largely unknown. Genetics, maternal factors (e.g., age, smoking) and environmental exposures have all been linked to some birth defects, including neural tube, oral cleft, limb reduction, and gastroschisis; however, the contribution of cumulative exposures across several environmental domains in association with these defects is not well understood. Methods The Environmental Quality Index (EQI) and its domains (air, water, land, sociodemographic, built) were used to estimate county‐level cumulative environmental exposures from 2006–2010 and matched to birth defects identified from Texas Birth Defects Registry and live birth records from births in years 2007–2010 ( N = 1,610,709). Poisson regression models estimated prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between 10 birth defects and the EQI. Results We observed some positive associations between worst environmental quality and neural tube, anencephaly, spina bifida, oral cleft, cleft palate, cleft lip with and without cleft palate, and gastroschisis [PR range: 1.12–1.55], but near null associations with limb reduction defects. Among domain specific results, we observed the strongest positive associations with the sociodemographic domain across birth defects but varied positive associations among the air and water domains, and negative or null associations with the land and built domains. Overall, few exposure‐response patterns were evident. Conclusions Our results highlight the complexities of cumulative, simultaneous environmental exposures in the prevalence rates of 10 selected birth defects. We were able to explore the impact of overall and domain specific environmental quality on birth defects and identify potential domain specific drivers of these associations.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 1804557
- Journal Information:
- Birth Defects Research, Journal Name: Birth Defects Research Vol. 113 Journal Issue: 2; ISSN 2472-1727
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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