A large study found that living near oil or gas wells during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight in babies
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousWomen who live near oil wells or active gas fields during pregnancy have an increased risk of having their underweight babies born. This is supported by the largest studio of its kind.
Just today we gave you news of a real environmental disaster that is passing over in silence and that concerns, once again, oil. An oil well exploded in India causing enormous damage to the environment and to the local population.
Oil well explodes in Baghjan, India: in general indifference, hundreds of lives destroyed and huge disaster for the environment
Sometimes, however, the damage to oil sites is more subtle and can even involve those who have yet to be born. The new research we are talking about, carried out in California, analyzed i data relating to nearly 3 million births in the well-known US state.
Scientists specifically focused on the pregnancy of women who lived within 10 km of an oil well or gas field between 2006 and 2015. It is the first study of its kind to examine the results of births, which occurred either in rural and urban areas, in the vicinity of active and inactive oil and gas sites.
Proximity to a well and level of production were significantly associated with low birth weight, especially in rural areas. Specifically, the study found that in rural areas, pregnant women residing less than a mile (1km) from the most productive wells had 40% more likely to have low birth weight babies and 20% more to have young children for their gestational age than people who live farther away from wells or near inactive wells.
Even considering full-term births, babies born to mothers who lived near oil or gas extraction sites were on average 1,3 ounces (about 36 grams) smaller than those of their counterparts. .
Un low birth weight can lead to multiple developmental problems in the short term, as underweight infants often struggle to eat, grow and fight infections. Studies also suggest that babies who are born underweight are more likely to have medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and intellectual disabilities and development in old age.
The study also found a link between oil and gas wells and low-weight children in urban areas, but it was significantly less marked than in rural communities. The differences in air quality, maternal employment and housing conditions they may have contributed to the urban-rural divide.
@ Environmental Health Perspectives
The findings, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, add to a growing body of evidence linking proximity to oil wells and gas fields to a variety of adverse birth outcomes, including premature birth, heart defects and low birth weight. birth.
Active and inactive oil and gas sites create many environmental hazards including air and water pollutants, noise and excessive lighting, all linked to an increased risk of health problems, the research points out.
As stated Rachel Morello Frog, professor of public health and environmental sciences, policy and management at the University of California, Berkeley and senior author of the paper:
“This study is the first to characterize the perinatal health implications of active oil and gas production in the state, and I think the findings can inform decision-making on regulatory enforcement and licensing activities. (...) This scientific proof of the negative health effects of vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, should be considered as Californians discuss the extent to which they want to expand oil and gas drilling in our state "
Finally, the researchers pointed out that since they have not been able to access the very sites where oil and gas are extracted, it is difficult to determine exactly what contributes to the birth of underweight babies.
Fonte: Berkeley News / Environmental Health Perspectives
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