RESUMO
Desert dust transported from the Saharan-Sahel region to the Caribbean Sea is responsible for peak exposures of particulate matter (PM). This study explored the potential added value of satellite aerosol optical thickness (AOT) measurements, compared to the PM concentration at ground level, to retrospectively assess exposure during pregnancy. MAIAC MODIS AOT retrievals in blue band (AOT470) were extracted for the French Guadeloupe archipelago. AOT470 values and PM10 concentrations were averaged over pregnancy for 906 women (2005-2008). Regression modeling was used to examine the AOT470-PM10 relationship during pregnancy and test the association between dust exposure estimates and preterm birth. Moderate agreement was shown between mean AOT470 retrievals and PM10 ground-based measurements during pregnancy (R2 = 0.289). The magnitude of the association between desert dust exposure and preterm birth tended to be lower using the satellite method compared to the monitor method. The latter remains an acceptable trade-off between epidemiological relevance and exposure misclassification, in areas with few monitoring stations and complex topographical/meteorological conditions, such as tropical islands.
Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos , Poluição do Ar , Nascimento Prematuro , Aerossóis/análise , África do Norte , Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Poluição do Ar/análise , Região do Caribe , Poeira/análise , Monitoramento Ambiental , Feminino , Guadalupe , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Material Particulado/análise , Gravidez , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide that was extensively used to control the banana root borer population in the French West Indies until 1993. Its persistence in soil has led to widespread pollution of the environment, and human beings, including pregnant women, are still exposed to this chemical. High levels of exposure to chlordecone during gestation have been shown to cause congenital anomalies, including undescended testes in rodents. We assessed the associations between chlordecone concentrations in maternal and cord plasma and the risk of congenital anomalies in the Timoun Mother-Child Cohort Study (2004-2007) that included 1068 pregnant women in Guadeloupe. Odds ratios were estimated using unconditional logistic regression analysis, controlling for confounding factors. The median plasma concentrations in maternal and cord plasma were 0.39 µg/L and 0.20 µg/L, respectively. Thirty-six children were diagnosed with malformations according to the European Registration of Congenital Anomalies guidelines and 25 with undescended testes. There was no association between maternal or cord plasma concentration of chlordecone and the risk of overall malformations nor undescended testes. These results suggest that prenatal exposure to the currently observed environmental levels of chlordecone in French West Indies does not increase the risk of birth defects.
Assuntos
Clordecona , Inseticidas , Criança , Clordecona/análise , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Guadalupe , Humanos , Inseticidas/análise , Mães , Gravidez , Índias OcidentaisRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Large amounts of mineral dust are transported from their African sources in the Saharan-Sahel region to the Caribbean Sea, generating peak exposures to particulate matter ≤10 µm (PM10). This study aimed to investigate the impact of Saharan dust episodes on preterm births in the Guadeloupe archipelago. METHODS: The study population consisted of 909 pregnant women who were enrolled in the TIMOUN mother-child cohort between 2004 and 2007. Desert dust episodes were assessed from PM10 concentrations recorded at the unique background air quality monitoring station located in Pointe-à-Pitre. For each woman, the daily PM10 concentrations were averaged over the entire pregnancy, and the proportion of days with intense dust episodes (≥55 µg PM10/m3) during pregnancy was calculated. Weighted logistic regression models adjusting for known individual sociomedical risk factors were used to estimate ORs and 95% CIs for preterm birth. RESULTS: During pregnancy, the mean PM10 concentrations ranged from 13.17 to 34.92 µg/m3, whereas the proportion of intense dust events ranged from 0.00% to 19.41%. Increased adjusted ORs were found for both the mean PM10 concentrations and the proportion of intense dust events (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.81, and OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.98 per SD change, respectively). Restriction to spontaneous preterm births produced similar ORs but with wider 95% CIs. CONCLUSION: Considering the personal and social burden of this adverse pregnancy outcome, this finding is of importance for both healthcare workers and policy makers to provide necessary preventive measures.
Assuntos
Minerais/efeitos adversos , Nascimento Prematuro/etiologia , Adulto , Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Região do Caribe/epidemiologia , Estudos de Coortes , Poeira/análise , Feminino , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Modelos Logísticos , Minerais/metabolismo , Gravidez , Resultado da Gravidez/epidemiologia , Nascimento Prematuro/epidemiologia , Nascimento Prematuro/metabolismoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: A high rate of preterm birth is observed in the Guadeloupe archipelago (French West Indies), raising the hypothesis of harmful environmental exposures, including landfilling. Our aim was to evaluate whether preterm births cluster around the three main open landfills located in this area. METHODS: The study population consisted of 911 women enrolled in the Timoun mother-child cohort (2004-2007). Home addresses during pregnancy and locations of landfills were geocoded. To test for the presence of preterm birth clusters around each dumpsite, we used a focused cluster test specifically designed to detect spatial clustering around point sources. RESULTS: A total of 144 (15.8%) preterm births were observed among 911 births. Using the term births (n = 767) as controls, a significant cluster was identified within 2 km around the Saint-François landfill with a relative risk (RR) of 4.82 (p = 0.04). No clusters were found around the other two landfills (RR = 2.01, p = 0.26 and RR = 1.06, p = 0.64, for La Gabarre and Baillif, respectively). CONCLUSION: The paucity of data available on open landfill sites regarding waste quantities, composition, and changes over time precludes any site-specific interpretation because of the variable degree of possible emissions. This result has to be confirmed in other tropical island environments where waste management has become a major concern with the potential to negatively impact the environment and public health.