The association between natural gas well activity and specific congenital anomalies in Oklahoma, 1997-2009.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Natural gas drilling may pose multiple health risks, including congenital anomalies, through air pollutant emissions and contaminated water. Two recent studies have evaluated the relationship between natural gas activity and congenital anomalies, with both observing a positive relationship. OBJECTIVES:We aimed to evaluate whether residence near natural gas wells is associated with critical congenital heart defects (CCHD), neural tube defects (NTD), and oral clefts in Oklahoma, the third highest natural gas producing state in the US. METHODS:We conducted a retrospective cohort study among singleton births in Oklahoma (n = 476,600) to evaluate natural gas activity and congenital anomalies. We calculated an inverse distance-squared weighted (IDW) score based on the number of active

SUBMITTER: Janitz AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6328052 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature