The Gulf oil spill, miscarriage, and infertility: the GROWH study

Harville, Emily W.; Shankar, Arti; Zilversmit, Leah; Buekens, Pierre

doi:10.1007/s00420-017-1257-4

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Other limitations of the study include the fact that the post-oil spill and pre- and post-samples are different, most obviously by conditioning on gravidity, and the age and gravidity at a second pregnancy is by definition larger than at the first. Thus, the earlier pregnancies are an imperfect control and residual confounding is possible, although previous analysis of ours found no association between oil spill exposure and fertility [ 46 ]. Similarly, oil spill exposure is self-reported, which likely leads to misclassification or, at least, inexactness in measurement; the most likely consequence of this is bias towards the null.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Self-Reported Oil Spill Exposure and Pregnancy Complications: The GROWH Study

Harville

Shankar

Zilversmit

et al. 2017

IJERPH

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Adverse infant outcomes often rise in the aftermath of disaster, but few studies have assessed the effects of disaster on maternal health. 1091 southern Louisiana women were interviewed about their pregnancy history, including pregnancy complications. Associations between oil spill exposures and gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, and nausea/vomiting were assessed for all reported pregnancies. 631 women had a pregnancy both before and after the oil spill. Generalized estimating equations (logistic regression) with adjustment for confounders were used. To assess possible unmeasured confounding, instead of considering oil spill exposure as a time-varying exposure, women were defined as oil spill-exposed or not. If oil spill-exposed women were equally prone to complications in pregnancies that occurred prior to the oil spill as after it, it was considered that any associations were likely due to selection or reporting issues. Women who reported oil spill exposure, particularly loss of use of the coast, were more likely to report gestational diabetes; however, the level of association was similar for pregnancies before and after the spill (p for interaction >0.10 and odds ratios (ORs) for pregnancies prior to the spill > than those after the spill). No associations were found between oil spill exposure and hypertensive disorders. This analysis does not suggest an increased risk of pregnancy complications associated with exposure to the oil spill; however, future studies should assess exposure and outcomes prospectively and clinically instead of relying on self-report.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Self-Reported Oil Spill Exposure and Pregnancy Complications: The GROWH Study

Harville

Shankar

Zilversmit

et al. 2017

IJERPH

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“…1620 women filled out at least 1 questionnaire or interview, including 443 women who were pregnant at the time of the interview. Blood and saliva samples were additionally requested [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reproductive Plans and Adolescent Pregnancy in the Gulf Resilience on Women’s Health Cohort

Flaviano

Harville

2020

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We investigated if adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and ACE sub-types were associated with increased odds of planning to have children and adolescent pregnancy. The Gulf Resilience on Women’s Health (GROWH) is a diverse cohort of reproductive-age women living in southeastern Louisiana during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In our sample of 1482 women, we used multinomial logistic regression to model odds ratios of wanting future children and assessed effect measure modification by educational attainment. We also estimated odds ratios of adolescent pregnancy with binomial logistic regression. Exposure to ACEs increased odds of wanting future children across all ACE sub-types. Among women with lower educational attainment, three or more ACEs (overall, childhood, and adolescence) had over two times the odds of wanting future children. History of ACE and the various sub-types, except for emotional abuse, were associated with increased risk of adolescent pregnancy. ACEs may be linked to adolescent pregnancy and reproductive plans, and variations by educational status highlighted social discrepancies and importance of social context in evaluation and intervention.

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“…Similarly, pregnant women who lived near the Hebei Spirit spill site in South Korea reported more eye irritation, headaches, and pain than those further away (B.-M. Kim et al, 2009). With regard to reproductive health, Harville et al (2018) found little evidence of DWH spill exposure being associated with increased miscarriages or infertility in women from southeastern Louisiana, although spills in Nigeria have been linked with increased mortality rates among newborn children (Bruederle and Hodler, 2019). Among patients (predominantly African American women) seeking care at a Federally Qualified Health Center in an underserved area affected by DWH, post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with headaches, chest pains, dizziness, or trouble sleeping (Langhinrichsen-Rohling et al, 2017).…”

Section: Women Pregnant Women and Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Sandifer¹,

Ferguson²,

Finucane³

et al. 2021

Oceanog

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The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill is the only declared Spill of National Significance in US history, and it significantly impacted the health of people and communities in the Gulf of Mexico region. These impacts amplified adverse effects of prior disasters and may compound those of future traumas. Studies, both to date and ongoing, show some negative mental and physical health outcomes associated with DWH in some spill workers, as well as some coastal residents in all Gulf States. The spill was also associated with negative effects in the living resources, tourism, and recreation sectors, at least in the short term. Compared with others, people dependent on these sectors reported more health and financial concerns. Consumer concerns about the safety and marketability of seafood persisted well after data demonstrated very low risk. Parents were concerned about possible exposures of children as they played on beaches, but this risk was found to be minor. Spill-related stress was an overarching factor associated with adverse health outcomes, and some residents reported greater stress from navigating the legal and claims processes following the spill than from the spill itself. Research revealed a serious lack of baseline health, environmental, and socioeconomic data against which to compare spill effects. This finding highlighted the need for ongoing observing systems to monitor health and socioeconomic parameters and establish continuous baselines of such information.

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The Gulf oil spill, miscarriage, and infertility: the GROWH study

Abstract: The oil spill appears to have affected reproductive decision-making. The evidence is not strong that exposure to the oil spill was associated with miscarriage or infertility.

Cited by 22 publications

References 34 publications

Self-Reported Oil Spill Exposure and Pregnancy Complications: The GROWH Study

Self-Reported Oil Spill Exposure and Pregnancy Complications: The GROWH Study

Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reproductive Plans and Adolescent Pregnancy in the Gulf Resilience on Women’s Health Cohort

Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

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