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Pregnancy outcomes in contaminated areas, SP, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: Estimate and compare prevalence of events related to pregnancy (pregnancy, low birth weight, premature delivery, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, congenital malformation, and multiple births) in populations exposed and non-exposed to environmental contaminants in Santos and São Vicente Estuary. METHODS: This study was part of a large project financed by CNPq, which aimed to estimate health effects associated with environmental area, contaminants exposure among individuals of the Baixada Santista region. This cross-sectional study evaluated two neighborhoods of São Vicente near a contaminated area, and one neighborhood of Bertioga, the control area. A structured and previously tested questionnaire was applied at 236 households in São Vicente and 251 households in Bertioga in order to obtain the data. The chi-square test or Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate associations between area and qualitative variables; Student's t test or two proportion comparison test were used to evaluate differences between variables; and a significance level of 5% adopted. RESULTS: There was significant association between living in Bertioga (p = 0.01) and number of pregnancies in the past five years. In São Vicente, 64 (28.3%) childbearing age women became pregnant whereas in Bertioga there where 109 (38.8%). There were no statistical significant associations between living in any area and others pregnancy outcomes evaluated. CONCLUSION: Although no significant association was found, prevalence of low birth weight, preterm delivery and spontaneous abortion and prevalent odds ratio were higher in contaminated area. This study's evidence of a reduced number of pregnancies in contaminated area strengthens the need for additional more in-depth studies in Santos and São Vicente Estuary.

Pregnancy outcomes; Environmental pollution; Organochlorine compounds; Heavy metals; Low birth weight; Prematurity


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