Birth defects in infants born in 1998–2004 to men and women serving in the U.S. military during the 1990–1991 Gulf War era

Bukowinski, Anna T; DeScisciolo, Connie; Conlin, Ava Marie S; Ryan, Margaret A. K.; Sevick, Carter; Smith, Tyler C.

doi:10.1002/bdra.23062

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…6 Similar results were found in a study that explored oil-well fire exposure in Kuwait. 27 Exposure to oil-well fires did not increase odds of birth defects when compared with nondeployed veterans. 27 Limited research has been conducted exploring the implications of vaccine or chemoprophylaxis exposure on female reproductive health in a military context.…”

Section: Teratogen Exposure and Birth Defectsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…27 Exposure to oil-well fires did not increase odds of birth defects when compared with nondeployed veterans. 27 Limited research has been conducted exploring the implications of vaccine or chemoprophylaxis exposure on female reproductive health in a military context. As noted by Krulewitch in 2016, four studies 28-31 evaluated these exposures during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes and "found that neither vaccine nor chemoprophylaxis administration during the prenatal period resulted in adverse effects on pregnancy outcome.…”

Section: Teratogen Exposure and Birth Defectsmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Obstetric Outcomes in Military Servicewomen: Emerging Knowledge, Considerations, and Gaps

2019

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The number of women in the U.S. military is dramatically increasing. Similarly, the roles of active-duty women are greatly expanding, thus exposing them to new occupational risks. Determining the impact of pregnancy outcomes for women while in the military is difficult due to changing exposures over time, difficulty in utilizing appropriate comparison groups, and the lack of prospective investigations. Despite these limitations, it was concerning that the available data suggest that servicewomen delivering within 6 months of their first deployment have an increased preterm birth risk (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.1), and those with three prior deployments have an even greater risk (aOR: 3.8). Servicewomen also have an increased risk of hypertensive disorders with a rate of 13% compared with 5% in the general obstetric population. Furthermore, depression is higher for women who deploy after childbirth and are exposed to combat when compared with those who have not deployed since the birth of their child (aOR: 2.01). Due to the importance of this issue, prospective research designs are necessary to better understand and address the unique health care needs of this population.

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Section: Teratogen Exposure and Birth Defectsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Teratogen Exposure and Birth Defectsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Obstetric Outcomes in Military Servicewomen: Emerging Knowledge, Considerations, and Gaps

2019

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“…In addition, the frequency of congenital abnormalities among infants born to U.S. service personnel who had served in Iraq between 1990 and 1991 did not differ from that among infants born to members of the U.S. military who were not deployed to Iraq. A slight increase in the prevalence of birth defects was observed among infants born to male war fighters who were deployed for between 153 and 200 days compared to those deployed to Iraq for between 1 and 92 days [88].…”

Section: Collateral Injuriesmentioning

confidence: 92%

The Chemistry and Toxicology of Depleted Uranium

Katz

2014

Toxics

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Natural uranium is comprised of three radioactive isotopes: 238 U, 235 U, and 234 U. Depleted uranium (DU) is a byproduct of the processes for the enrichment of the naturally occurring 235 U isotope. The world wide stock pile contains some 1½ million tons of depleted uranium. Some of it has been used to dilute weapons grade uranium (~90% 235 U) down to reactor grade uranium (~5% 235 U), and some of it has been used for heavy tank armor and for the fabrication of armor-piercing bullets and missiles. Such weapons were used by the military in the Persian Gulf, the Balkans and elsewhere. The testing of depleted uranium weapons and their use in combat has resulted in environmental contamination and human exposure. Although the chemical and the toxicological behaviors of depleted uranium are essentially the same as those of natural uranium, the respective chemical forms and isotopic compositions in which they usually occur are different. The chemical and radiological toxicity of depleted uranium can injure biological systems. Normal functioning of the kidney, liver, lung, and heart can be adversely affected by depleted uranium intoxication. The focus of this review is on the chemical and toxicological properties of depleted and natural uranium and some of the possible consequences from long term, low dose exposure to depleted uranium in the environment.

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“…36 A cohort study utilizing the BIHR data investigated the prevalence of birth defects among infants born from 1998 to 2004 among Gulf War-era Veterans. 37 Analyses accounted for several quantitatively measured exposures, including exposure to nerve agents released as a result of demolition munitions, based on modeling data, location, and days deployed 38 ; categorized unit-level exposure to particulate matter in smoke from oil-well fires; in-theater hospitalization; deployment during the major combat period, January to March 1991; and cumulative time deployed. Infants of maternal or paternal deployers, compared with the infants of nondeployers, were not at increased odds of being diagnosed with a birth defect, including eight specific birth defects of concern based on prior literature.…”

Section: Environmental and Occupational Exposuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Research Program: Assessing the Reproductive Health of U.S. Active-Duty Women

et al. 2018

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As the percentage of women serving in the active-duty military continues to grow, and as their roles continue to expand, the importance of monitoring reproductive health in the military community increases. The Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Research (BIHR) program conducts ongoing epidemiologic studies to assess potential increased risks for adverse reproductive and infant health outcomes in the military population. Military personnel endure unique physical and mental demands as a part of their occupational duties (e.g., extensive preventive care, numerous trainings, and deployments), which require special consideration as parental exposures in reproductive health research that cannot be well assessed in the general population. From 2003 to 2014, the BIHR program captured 250,604 pregnancies among approximately 2.4 million active-duty women of reproductive age when limited to non-cadet Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps personnel. Approximately 15,000 live births occurred each year, and the live birth rate ranged from 76.9 per 1,000 in 2003 to 71.0 per 1,000 in 2014. Safety of military-unique preventive measures, environmental exposures, and occupational hazards in pregnancy are summarized herein. Reproductive health is important to our service members and their families, and optimizing the health of military families ultimately contributes to force readiness.

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Birth defects in infants born in 1998–2004 to men and women serving in the U.S. military during the 1990–1991 Gulf War era

Abstract: The 1990-1991 Gulf War deployers, including those with specific exposures of concern, were not found to be at increased risk for having infants with birth defects 7 to 14 years after deployment.

Cited by 11 publications

References 42 publications

Obstetric Outcomes in Military Servicewomen: Emerging Knowledge, Considerations, and Gaps

Obstetric Outcomes in Military Servicewomen: Emerging Knowledge, Considerations, and Gaps

The Chemistry and Toxicology of Depleted Uranium

The Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Research Program: Assessing the Reproductive Health of U.S. Active-Duty Women

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