Birth defects and household water supply. Epidemiological studies in the Mount Gambier region of South Australia.
We report a descriptive study indicating a localised excess of congenital malformations in Mount Gambier, South Australia, and summary results of a subsequent case-control study showing an association between the occurrence of congenital malformations and the consumption of underground water by pregnant women. The internal cohesion of the data analyses, and the plausibility conferred by experimental evidence, suggests that the underground water, and its elevated concentration of nitrates, may warrant further consideration as a source of human teratogens.
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000401:mortality; D001315:Australia; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000401:mortality; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
D009566:Nitrates