From the School of the Environment, Yale University, CT.
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Epidemiology. 2024 Nov 1;35(6):834-843. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001771. Epub 2024 Jul 23.
Studies suggest biologic mechanisms for gestational exposure to radiation and impaired fetal development. We explored associations between gestational radon exposure and term low birthweight, for which evidence is limited.
We examined data for 68,159 singleton full-term births in Connecticut, United States, 2016-2018. Using a radon spatiotemporal model, we estimated ZIP code-level basement and ground-level exposures during pregnancy and trimesters for each participant's address at birth or delivery. We used logistic regression models, including confounders, to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for term low birth weight in four exposure quartiles (Q1-Q4) with the lowest exposure group (Q1) as the reference.
Exposure levels to basement radon throughout pregnancy (0.27-3.02 pCi/L) were below the guideline level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (4 pCi/L). The ORs for term low birth weight in the second-highest (Q3; 1.01-1.33 pCi/L) exposure group compared with the reference (<0.79 pCi/L) group for basement radon during the first trimester was 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02, 1.45). The OR in the highest (Q4; 1.34-4.43 pCi/L) quartile group compared with the reference group during the first trimester was 1.26 (95% CI = 1.05, 1.50). Risks from basement radon were higher for participants with lower income, lower maternal education levels, or living in urban regions.
This study found increased term low birth weight risks for increases in basement radon. Results have implications for infants' health for exposure to radon at levels below the current national guideline for indoor radon concentrations and building remediations.
研究表明，妊娠期间暴露于辐射会对胎儿发育产生生物影响。我们探讨了妊娠氡暴露与足月低体重儿之间的关系，而这方面的证据有限。
我们分析了美国康涅狄格州 2016 年至 2018 年期间 68159 例单胎足月出生的病例数据。利用氡的时空模型，我们估算了每位参与者出生或分娩时住址的邮政编码级地下室和地面水平暴露值，并在妊娠期间和每个妊娠阶段进行了估算。我们使用逻辑回归模型，包括混杂因素，以四个暴露四分位数（Q1-Q4）中最低暴露组（Q1）为参考，估计足月低出生体重的比值比（OR）。
整个孕期的地下室氡暴露水平（0.27-3.02 pCi/L）低于美国环保署设定的指导水平（4 pCi/L）。与参考组（<0.79 pCi/L）相比，第一孕期地下室氡暴露处于第二高（Q3；1.01-1.33 pCi/L）四分位数组的足月低出生体重 OR 为 1.22（95%置信区间[CI] = 1.02, 1.45）。与参考组相比，第一孕期地下室氡暴露处于最高（Q4；1.34-4.43 pCi/L）四分位数组的 OR 为 1.26（95% CI = 1.05, 1.50）。对于收入较低、受教育程度较低或居住在城市地区的参与者，地下室氡的风险更高。
本研究发现地下室氡暴露增加与足月低体重儿风险增加有关。结果表明，在目前室内氡浓度和建筑修复国家指导水平以下，氡暴露会对婴儿健康产生影响。
