1. Health outcomes among offspring of US Coast Guard responders to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 2010-2011.
- Author
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Hall C, Conlin AMS, Burrell M, Romano CJ, Bukowinski AT, Gumbs GR, Harville EW, Thomas DL, Denic-Roberts H, and Rusiecki JA
- Subjects
- Infant, Newborn, Humans, Male, Female, Cohort Studies, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Military Personnel, Petroleum Pollution adverse effects, Premature Birth epidemiology
- Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the potential for adverse health outcomes among infants born to US Coast Guard (USCG) responders to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill disaster., Methods: Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Research programme data identified a cohort of singleton infants born 2010-2011 to USCG personnel in the DWH Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort study. Infants were included if their military parent ('sponsor') responded to the oil spill during a selected reproductive exposure window (ie, 3 months preconception for male sponsors and periconception through pregnancy for female sponsors), or if their sponsor was a non-responder. χ
2 tests and multivariable log-binomial regression were used to compare the demographic and health characteristics of infants born to spill responders and non-responders., Results: Overall, 1974 infants with a male sponsor (n=182 responder, n=1792 non-responder) and 628 infants with a female sponsor (n=35 responder, n=593 non-responder) in the DWH Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort were identified. Health outcomes were similar among the offspring of male responders and non-responders. The frequency of any poor live birth outcome (ie, low birth weight, preterm birth or birth defect) was higher among infants born to female responders (17.1%, n=6) than non-responders (8.9%, n=53); the maternal age-adjusted association was suggestively elevated (risk ratio 1.93, 95% CI 0.89 to 4.16)., Conclusion: Infant health outcomes were comparable between the offspring of male USCG oil spill responders and non-responders. Findings were limited by the small number of infants identified, particularly among female responders, and should be interpreted with caution., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)- Published
- 2023
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