title: Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and craniosynostosis among offspring in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence in animal models and humans suggests that exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may lead to birth defects. To our knowledge, this relationship has not been evaluated for craniosynostosis, a birth defect characterized by the premature closure of sutures in the skull. We conducted a case-control study to examine associations between maternal occupational exposure to PAHs and craniosynostosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from craniosynostosis cases and control infants in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) with estimated delivery dates from 1997 to 2002. Industrial hygienists reviewed occupational data from the computer-assisted telephone interview and assigned a yes/no rating of probable occupational PAH exposure for each job from 1 month before conception through delivery. We used logistic regression to assess the association between occupational exposure to PAHs and craniosynostosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of exposure was 5.3% in case mothers (16/300) and 3.7% in control mothers (107/2,886). We observed a positive association between exposure to PAHs during the 1 month before conception through the third month of pregnancy and craniosynostosis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-3.05) after adjusting for maternal age and maternal education. The number of cases for each craniosynostosis subtype limited subtype analyses to sagittal craniosynostosis; the odds ratio remained similar (OR = 1.76, 95% CI, 0.82-3.75), but was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support a moderate association between maternal occupational exposure to PAHs and craniosynostosis. Additional work is needed to better characterize susceptibility and the role PAHs may play on specific craniosynostosis subtypes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Jacqueline L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: Birth Defects Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Christina C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics and Metabolism, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheuerle
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Carissa M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rocheleau
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Martha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Symanski
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Romitti
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Agopian
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lupo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003398:Craniosynostoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
keywords: birth defects; case-control; craniosynostosis; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)