title: Spatial analysis of neural tube defects in a rural coal mining area.
abstract: Shanxi province in northern China has one of the highest reported prevalence rates of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the world. The current study selected Heshun, the county with the highest rate of NTDs in Shanxi, as a study area and tested whether residence in a coal mining area was a contributing factor. A NTD cluster was detected in an area within 6 km of the coal mines for almost every year during 1998-2005. Poisson regression analysis revealed that there may be an association between production in coal mines and prevalence of NTDs in coal mine areas. Future work identifying factors independently correlated with NTDs in coal mining regions may provide further insights into the health effects of coal mines on NTDs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P.R. China. [corrected]
authors.forename: Yilan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Jinfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jilei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Driskell
authors.forename: Wuyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003032:Coal Mining; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D050498:Live Birth; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D050497:Stillbirth