Maternal occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and major structural birth defects

Abstract

Background Ionizing radiation (IR) is known to be carcinogenic and mutagenic, but little is known about the association between maternal occupational exposure to IR and birth defects. Methods We studied 38,009 mothers who participated in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study and delivered between 1997 and 2009. We assessed odds ratios [ORs] for the association between maternal occupations with potential exposure to IR and 39 birth defects. Results We observed significant odds ratios (ORs) for isolated hydrocephaly (adjusted OR [AOR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–4.2), isolated anotia/microtia (AOR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.0–4.0), isolated colonic atresia (crude OR, 7.5; 95% CI, 2.5–22.3), isolated omphalocele (AOR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1–4.6) and isolated anencephaly (crude OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.06–0.94). We also observed a nonsignificant OR for birth defects in aggregate (AOR, 2.0; 95% CI, 0.9–4.6) among mothers with potential occupational exposure to fluoroscopy. Conclusion We assessed 39 birth defects, observing that maternal occupations with potential exposure to IR were associated with a significantly increased risk for 4 birth defects and a significantly protected risk for 1 birth defect. These results should be interpreted cautiously because our measurement of exposure is qualitative, some of these associations may be due to occupational exposures that are correlated with IR and some may be due to chance. However, these findings serve as the first evaluation of these relationships in a large study and may be useful for generating hypotheses for future studies.

Congenital Malformations and Perinatal Deaths Among the Children of Atomic Bomb Survivors: A Reappraisal

“…Studies of preconceptional radiation exposure and pregnancy outcomes in various occupationally and environmentally exposed groups have had limited statistical power because of small sample size, low gonadal dose, lack of dosimetry information, or inadequate comparison groups ( 19 ). Although some of the individual malformations showed a positive association with radiation exposure, such as an increased risk of neural tube defects among offspring of male workers at the Hanford plutonium processing site (Richland, Washington), the findings may reflect type I error ( 24 , 25 ). There was no evidence of an increased risk when congenital malformations were analyzed in aggregate ( 24–27 ).…”

Evidence for a teratogenic risk in the offspring of health personnel exposed to ionizing radiation?!

“…In , Lim et al addressed the issue of maternal occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and CA in the offspring within the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The large sample size of 18,621 infants diagnosed with CA and 6820 controls over a period of 12 years was analyzed.…”

Residential radon and birth defects: A population‐based assessment

“…The literature contains many reports of central nervous system (CNS) defects, such as microcephaly (Brent 1999; Dekaban 1968; Plummer 1952), hydrocephaly (Lim et al 2014a), Dandy Walker malformation (Lim et al 2014b), and neural tube defects (Sever et al 1988) in offspring of mothers exposed to radiation during pregnancy. None of these specific CNS defects were associated with high radon regions of Texas.…”

“…While other sources of parental exposure to radiation have been explored, including occupational exposures (e.g., Wiesel et al, ; Lim et al, ) and medical procedures (e.g., Brent, ), to our knowledge, there have been no assessments of radon exposure and the risk of birth defects. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is associated with several adverse outcomes, including lung cancer.…”