Your browser version may not work well with NCBI's Web applications. More information here...
1: Lancet. 1998 Aug 8;352(9126):423-7.
Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
Comment in:
Risk of congenital anomalies near hazardous-waste landfill sites in Europe: the EUROHAZCON study.

Dolk H, Vrijheid M, Armstrong B, Abramsky L, Bianchi F, Garne E, Nelen V, Robert E, Scott JE, Stone D, Tenconi R.

Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.

BACKGROUND: Waste-disposal sites are a potential hazard to health. This study is a multicentre case-control study of the risk of congenital anomalies associated with residence near hazardous-waste landfill sites in Europe. METHODS: We used data from seven regional registers of congenital anomalies in five countries. We studied 1089 livebirths, stillbirths, and terminations of pregnancy with non-chromosomal congenital anomalies and 2366 control births without malformation, whose mothers resided within 7 km of a landfill site; 21 sites were included. A zone within 3 km radius of each site was defined as the "proximate zone" of most likely exposure to teratogens. FINDINGS: Residence within 3 km of a landfill site was associated with a significantly raised risk of congenital anomaly (295 cases/511 controls living 0-3 km from sites, 794/1855 living 3-7 km from sites; combined odds ratio 1.33 [95% CI 1.11-1.59], adjusted for maternal age and socioeconomic status). There was a fairly consistent decrease in risk with distance away from the sites. A significantly raised odds ratio for residence within 3 km of a landfill site was found for neural-tube defects (odds ratio 1.86 [1.24-2.79]), malformations of the cardiac septa (1.49 [1.09-2.04]), and anomalies of great arteries and veins (1.81 [1.02-3.20]). Odds ratios of borderline significance were found for tracheo-oesophageal anomalies (2.25 [0.96-5.26]), hypospadias (1.96 [0.98-3.92]), and gastroschisis (3.19 [0.95-10.77]). There was little evidence of differences in risk between landfill sites but power to detect such differences was low. INTERPRETATION: This study shows a raised risk of congenital anomaly in babies whose mothers live close to landfill sites that handle hazardous chemical wastes, although there is a need for further investigation of whether the association of raised risk of congenital anomaly and residence near landfill sites is a causal one. Apparent differences between malformation subgroups should be interpreted cautiously.

Publication Types:
PMID: 9708749 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]