Association between benzene and congenital anomalies in Oklahoma, 1997–2009

Abstract

Objectives: Although the most common cause of death in infants, little is known about the etiology of congenital anomalies. Recent studies have increasingly focused on environmental exposures, including benzene. While benzene is known to affect the central nervous system, the effects on the developing fetus are unclear. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the association between ambient benzene exposure and the prevalence of congenital anomalies among 628,121 singleton births in Oklahoma from 1997–2009. We obtained benzene from the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2005 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment for the census tract of the birth residence. We used modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors to calculate prevalence proportion ratios (PPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between quartiles of benzene exposure and critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs), neural tube defects (NTDs), and oral clefts adjusted for maternal education and tobacco use. Results: Median benzene exposure concentration in Oklahoma was 0.57 μg/m3. We observed no association between benzene exposure and oral clefts, CCHDs or NTDs. When specific anomalies were examined, we observed an increased prevalence of cleft lip among those exposed to the second quartile of benzene compared to the first (PPR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.05, 2.13), though no association with higher levels of exposure. Conclusions: Our findings do not provide support for an increased prevalence of anomalies in areas more highly exposed to benzene. Future studies would benefit from pooling data from multiple states to increase statistical power and precision in studies of air pollutants and specific anomalies.

Maternal environmental, occupational, and urinary metabolite levels of benzene compounds and their association with congenital heart diseases in offspring: a case‒control study in China

“…A study conducted in Oklahoma evaluated the association between benzene exposure and congenital anomalies. However, their findings did not find an association between benzene exposure during pregnancy and the occurrence of CHDs in offspring (Janitz et al 2018 ). This is similar to our results.…”

“…A few studies have evaluated the association between benzene and nonisolated pulmonary atresia (Tanner et al 2015 ), cleft palate (Ramakrishnan et al 2013 ), and major congenital, and neural crest malformations (Janitz et al 2018 ; Wennborg et al 2005 ). Some studies have shown that exposure to a mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds during pregnancy may lead to premature birth (PTB) in pregnant women (Cassidy-Bushrow et al 2021a ; Santos and Nascimento 2019 ).…”

An innovative approach in the management of alveolar clefts with bone graft harvest from maxillary tuberosity and mandibular wisdom molar odontectomy sites: A case report

“…Fusion of several structures and processes of the neonatal face result in the development of both the lip and palate between the 4th and 12th week of gestation. A failure of fusion due to genetic or environmental causes may lead to the development of cleft lip and palate 15 …”

An Innovative Approach in the Management of Alveolar Clefts With Bone Graft Harvest From Maxillary Tuberosity and Mandibular Wisdom Molar Odontectomy Sites- A Case Report

“…A failure of fusion due to genetic or environmental causes may lead to the development of cleft lip and palate. 16 ABG forms a fundamental component of the treatment protocol of alveolar clefts in patients with cleft lip and palate. The main objectives of ABG are to: establish continuity of the dental arch, facilitate closure of oro-nasal fistulae, correction of the nasal alar bases and to provide solid bone for tooth migration and dental implant placement.…”