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Maternal residential proximity to nuclear facilities and low birth weight in offspring in Texas

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Abstract

Health effects of close residential proximity to nuclear facilities have been a concern for both the general public and health professionals. Here, a study is reported examining the association between maternal residential proximity to nuclear facilities and low birth weight (LBW) in offspring using data from 1996 through 2008 in Texas, USA. A case–control study design was used together with a proximity-based model for exposure assessment. First, the LBW case/control births were categorized into multiple proximity groups based on distances between their maternal residences and nuclear facilities. Then, a binary logistic regression model was used to examine the association between maternal residential proximity to nuclear facilities and low birth weight in offspring. The odds ratios were adjusted for birth year, public health region of maternal residence, child’s sex, gestational weeks, maternal age, education, and race/ethnicity. In addition, sensitivity analyses were conducted for the model. Compared with the reference group (more than 50 km from a nuclear facility), the exposed groups did not show a statistically significant increase in LBW risk [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81, 1.03) for group 40–50 km; aOR 0.98 (CI 0.84, 1.13) for group 30–40 km; aOR 0.95 (CI 0.79, 1.15) for group 20–30 km; aOR 0.86 (CI 0.70, 1.04) for group 10–20 km; and aOR 0.98 (CI 0.59, 1.61) for group 0–10 km]. These results were also confirmed by results of the sensitivity analyses. The results suggest that maternal residential proximity to nuclear facilities is not a significant factor for LBW in offspring.

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Notes

  1. Although g and kg are the unit of “mass”, in this paper the term “weight” is preferred to keep consistency with the pertinent literature.

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Acknowledgements

Some of the data used in the analyses were provided by the Center for Health Statistics in the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The authors appreciate the support from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Xi Gong & Yan Lin

  2. Department of Geography, Texas Center for Geographic Information Science, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA

    F. Benjamin Zhan

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  1. Xi Gong
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  2. F. Benjamin Zhan
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Correspondence to Xi Gong.

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Gong, X., Benjamin Zhan, F. & Lin, Y. Maternal residential proximity to nuclear facilities and low birth weight in offspring in Texas. Radiat Environ Biophys 56, 111–120 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-016-0673-2

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