WTC and low-birthweight babies.
Berkowitz GS, Wolff MS, Janevic TM, Holzman IR, Yehuda R, Landrigan PJ. 2003. The World Trade Center disaster and intrauterine growth restriction. JAMA. 290:595-596.Heavy smoking by pregnant women and exposure to extreme air pollution have been linked to intrauterine growth restriction, low birthweight, and preterm birth, all recognized risk factors for certain developmental problems later in life. The collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City on 11 September 2001 released a plume of toxic chemicals including soot, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, pulverized glass and cement, and alkaline particulates into the surrounding air. To evaluate whether this pollution produced similar pregnancy and fetal effects, NIEHS-supported researchers at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center tracked pregnant women who were living near the WTC at the time of the collapse.
The team recruited 187 women who were pregnant and present in the area of the WTC at the time of the collapse on September 11 or during the 3 weeks following. For comparison, the researchers tracked 2,300 pregnant women from elsewhere in New York City who delivered babies at the same time and who were not known to have been in lower Manhattan on September 11. For both groups, researchers measured demographic characteristics, gestational age, birthweight, and the presence of intrauterine growth restriction (birthweight of less than 10th percentile for gestational age), preterm birth (less than 37 weeks), and low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams).
Of the few differences observed between the two groups, the most striking was that 8.2% of babies in the WTC group were in the lowest 10% of birthweight for gestational age, compared to only 3.8% in the control group. The authors assert that the study shows a strong effect even with a small number of participants. They speculate that the cause could be in utero exposure to particulate matter or PAHs. Possible long-term effects on the development of these children are unclear and will require continuous follow-up.
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| Title Annotation: | Headliners / Pregnancy Effects |
|---|---|
| Author: | Phelps, Jerry |
| Publication: | Environmental Health Perspectives |
| Date: | Dec 1, 2003 |
| Words: | 339 |
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