Maternal residential proximity to waste sites and industrial facilities and oral clefts in offspring.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the association between oral clefts and maternal residential proximity to waste sites or industries.


METHODS
In a case-control study, maternal residences at birth of 1781 births with oral clefts and 4368 comparison births were related to locations of waste sites and industrial facilities in Texas through geographic information systems.


RESULTS
Compared with women who lived farther, women who lived within a mile of these sites or facilities were not more likely to have offspring with oral clefts. Among women > or =35 years, oral clefts in offspring were associated with living within a mile of industrial facilities (odds ratio [OR] = 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-4.2), especially smelters (OR = 15.0, 95% CI = 2.8-151).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that maternal residential proximity to industries might be associated with oral clefts in births to older mothers.
Brender
Jean D
JD
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Dr Brender), Texas A and M School of Rural Public Health, College Station, Texas 77843, USA. jdbrender@srph.tamhsc.edu
Zhan
F Benjamin
FB
Suarez
Lucina
L
Langlois
Peter H
PH
Moody
Karen
K
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D016017:Odds Ratio; D013781:Texas
D006256:Hazardous Waste