Michalek J E, Rahe A J, Boyle C A
Armstrong Laboratory, Brooks Air Force Base, TX, USA.
Epidemiology. 1998 Mar;9(2):161-7.
We studied paternal exposure to Agent Orange and its dioxin contaminant (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) and preterm birth, intrauterine growth retardation, or infant death in veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, the unit responsible for spraying herbicides during the Vietnam war. A Comparison group of Air Force veterans who served in Southeast Asia during the same time period and who were not occupationally exposed to herbicides was included. We studied children conceived during or after the father's service in Southeast Asia and based exposure on paternal dioxin measured in 1987 or 1992 extrapolated to the time of conception of the child. We assigned each child to one of four exposure categories: Comparison and three Ranch Hand categories (Background, Low, High). Children in the High (relative risk = 1.3) and Background (relative risk = 1.4) categories were at increased risk of preterm birth. The risk of intrauterine growth retardation was not increased in any exposure category. The risk of infant death was increased in all Ranch Hand children, with the greatest increases in the High (relative risk = 4.5) and Background (relative risk = 3.2) categories. These patterns indicate that the increases in the relative risk of preterm birth and infant death may not be related to paternal dioxin level.
我们研究了参与“牧场工行动”的退伍军人中，父亲接触橙剂及其二噁英污染物（2,3,7,8 - 四氯二苯并 - p - 二噁英）与早产、宫内生长迟缓或婴儿死亡之间的关系。“牧场工行动”部队在越战期间负责喷洒除草剂。研究纳入了同期在东南亚服役且未职业接触除草剂的空军退伍军人作为对照组。我们研究了父亲在东南亚服役期间或之后受孕的孩子，并根据1987年或1992年测量的父亲二噁英水平推算至孩子受孕时的接触情况。我们将每个孩子分配到四个接触类别之一：对照组以及“牧场工行动 ”的三个类别（背景组、低接触组、高接触组）。高接触组（相对风险 = 1.3）和背景组（相对风险 = 1.4）的孩子早产风险增加。在任何接触类别中，宫内生长迟缓的风险均未增加。所有“牧场工行动”孩子的婴儿死亡风险均增加，高接触组（相对风险 = 4.5）和背景组（相对风险 = 3.2）增加幅度最大。这些模式表明，早产和婴儿死亡相对风险的增加可能与父亲的二噁英水平无关。
