title: Indoor air pollution from coal combustion and the risk of neural tube defects in a rural population in Shanxi Province, China.
abstract: The authors evaluated indoor air pollution from coal combustion (IAPCC) as a potential risk factor for neural tube defects (NTDs) in a rural population in Shanxi Province, China. The studied rural population has both high IAPCC exposure and a high prevalence of NTDs. A population-based case-control study was used to identify 610 NTD cases and 837 normal controls between November 2002 and December 2007. Information was collected within 1 week following delivery or pregnancy termination due to prenatal NTD diagnosis. The authors derived an exposure index by integrating a series of IAPCC-related characteristics concerning dwelling and lifestyle. Compared with women with no IAPCC exposure, women with any exposure at all had a 60% increased risk of having a child with an NTD (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 2.1). An increased NTD risk was linked to both residential heating (adjusted OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.4) and cooking (adjusted OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.1). The risk increased with increases in the exposure index, showing a dose-response trend (P < 0.001). This is the first known study to link IAPCC to NTDs. Additional studies are needed to confirm the link between IAPCC and NTDs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Le
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rongwei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Jianmeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Aiguo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003031:Coal; D003296:Cooking; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006361:Heating; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D003031:Coal