title: Drinking water source and spontaneous abortion: A cross-sectional study in a rural Chinese population.
abstract: The authors examined the association between the risk of spontaneous abortion and the type of drinking water source in a rural Chinese population. Information about pregnancy outcomes and various exposures was collected by means of a detailed interview questionnaire. 2,876 pregnancies occurring in 1989-1993 among 2,201 nonsmoking and non-alcohol-drinking women were analyzed by logistic regression. Generalized estimating equations were used to adjust for correlations between multiple pregnancies in the same woman. The use of pond water as a drinking water source was associated with a higher risk of spontaneous abortion than the use of well or river water (odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 2.39), adjusting for potential confounders. More studies are needed to identify the agents responsible for the observed association. The results of this study emphasize the importance of monitoring potential drinking-water contamination in communities.
authors.affiliation: Program for Population Genetics, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, FXB-101, Boston, MA 02115-6096, USA.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Padungtod
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Christiani
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: XU
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides