Fetal growth, stillbirth, infant mortality and other birth outcomes near UK municipal waste incinerators; retrospective population based cohort and case-control study
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Published version
Supporting information
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: Some studies have reported associations between municipal waste incinerator (MWI) exposures and adverse birth outcomes but there are few studies of modern MWIs operating to current European Union (EU) Industrial Emissions Directive standards. Methods: Associations between modelled ground-level particulate matter ≤10 μm in diameter (PM10) from MWI emissions (as a proxy for MWI emissions) within 10 km of each MWI, and selected birth and infant mortality outcomes were examined for all 22 MWIs operating in Great Britain 2003–10. We also investigated associations with proximity of residence to a MWI. Outcomes used were term birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA) at term, stillbirth, neonatal, post-neonatal and infant mortality, multiple births, sex ratio and preterm delivery sourced from national registration data from the Office for National Statistics. Analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders including year of birth, sex, season of birth, maternal age, deprivation, ethnicity and area characteristics and random effect terms were included in the models to allow for differences in baseline rates between areas and in incinerator feedstock. Results: Analyses included 1,025,064 births and 18,694 infant deaths. There was no excess risk in relation to any of the outcomes investigated during pregnancy or early life of either mean modelled MWI PM10 or proximity to an MWI. Conclusions: We found no evidence that exposure to PM10 from, or living near to, an MWI operating to current EU standards was associated with harm for any of the outcomes investigated. Results should be generalisable to other MWIs operating to similar standards.
Date Issued
2019
Date Acceptance
2018-10-31
Citation
Environment International, 2019, 122 (July), pp.151-158
ISSN
0160-4120
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
151
End Page
158
Journal / Book Title
Environment International
Volume
122
Issue
July
Copyright Statement
© 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
National Institute for Health Research
Public Health England
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust- BRC Funding
Identifier
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85059254326&partnerID=8YFLogxK
Grant Number
MR/L01341X/1
RTJ6219303-1
6509268
RDF03
Subjects
Birth weight Environment Epidemiology Infant mortality Municipal Waste Incinerator Stillbirth
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-11-22