Skip Navigation



American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on March 8, 2006
American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwj089
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
163/7/662    most recent
kwj089v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by von Ehrenstein, O. S.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, A. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by von Ehrenstein, O. S.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, A. H.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

American Journal of Epidemiology Copyright © 2006 by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health All rights reserved; printed in U.S.A.
Received July 25, 2005
Accepted November 7, 2005

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Pregnancy Outcomes, Infant Mortality, and Arsenic in Drinking Water in West Bengal, India

O. S. von Ehrenstein 1, D. N. Guha Mazumder 2, M. Hira-Smith 1, N. Ghosh 2, Y. Yuan 1, G. Windham 3, A. Ghosh 2, R. Haque 4, S. Lahiri 2, D. Kalman 5, S. Das 2, and A. H. Smith 1 *

1 School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
2 Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
3 Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control, California Department of Health Services, Oakland, CA
4 Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA
5 School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
A. H. Smith, E-mail: ahsmith{at}berkeley.edu


  Abstract

Between 2001 and 2003, the authors studied pregnancy outcomes and infant mortality among 202 married women in West Bengal, India. Reproductive histories were ascertained using structured interviews. Arsenic exposure during each pregnancy, including all water sources used, was assessed; this involved measurements from 409 wells. Odds ratios for spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, neonatal mortality, and infant mortality were estimated with logistic regression based on the method of generalized estimating equations. Exposure to high concentrations of arsenic (≥200 µg/liter) during pregnancy was associated with a sixfold increased risk of stillbirth after adjustment for potential confounders (odds ratio (OR) = 6.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.54, 24.0; p = 0.01). Arsenic-related skin lesions were found in 12 women who had a substantially increased risk of stillbirth (OR = 13.1, 95% CI: 3.17, 54.0; p = 0.002). The odds ratio for neonatal death was 2.81 (95% CI: 0.73, 10.8). No association was found between arsenic exposure and spontaneous abortion (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.38, 2.70) or overall infant mortality (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.43, 4.04). This study adds to the limited evidence that exposure to high concentrations of arsenic during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth. However, there was no indication of the increased rates of spontaneous abortion and overall infant mortality that have been reported in some studies.

Keywords: arsenic; India; infant mortality; pregnancy outcomes; stillbirth; water pollutants.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am J EpidemiolHome page
A. Rahman, M. Vahter, A. H. Smith, B. Nermell, M. Yunus, S. El Arifeen, L.-A. Persson, and E.-C. Ekstrom
Arsenic Exposure During Pregnancy and Size at Birth: A Prospective Cohort Study in Bangladesh
Am. J. Epidemiol., February 1, 2009; 169(3): 304 - 312.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Reproductive SciencesHome page
K. P. Stillerman, D. R. Mattison, L. C. Giudice, and T. J. Woodruff
Environmental Exposures and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Review of the Science
Reproductive Sciences, September 1, 2008; 15(7): 631 - 650.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Mineral MagHome page
D. Mondal, A. Hegan, L. Rodriguez-Lado, M. Banerjee, A. K. Giri, and D. A. Polya
Multiple regression analysis of As ground-water hazard and assessment of As-attributable human health risks in Chakdha Block, West Bengal
Mineralogical Magazine, February 1, 2008; 72(1): 461 - 465.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Nutr.Home page
K. Kordas, B. Lonnerdal, and R. J. Stoltzfus
Interactions between Nutrition and Environmental Exposures: Effects on Health Outcomes in Women and Children
J. Nutr., December 1, 2007; 137(12): 2794 - 2797.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JNCI J Natl Cancer InstHome page
G. Marshall, C. Ferreccio, Y. Yuan, M. N. Bates, C. Steinmaus, S. Selvin, J. Liaw, and A. H. Smith
Fifty-Year Study of Lung and Bladder Cancer Mortality in Chile Related to Arsenic in Drinking Water
J Natl Cancer Inst, June 20, 2007; 99(12): 920 - 928.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am J EpidemiolHome page
A. Rahman, M. Vahter, E.-C. Ekstrom, M. Rahman, A. H. M. Golam Mustafa, M. A. Wahed, M. Yunus, and L.-A. Persson
Association of Arsenic Exposure during Pregnancy with Fetal Loss and Infant Death: A Cohort Study in Bangladesh
Am. J. Epidemiol., June 15, 2007; 165(12): 1389 - 1396.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.