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Birth defects among offspring of California firefighters, 2007-2019
Florencia Anunziata1, Madison Chapman1, Erin Delker1
1Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Insights
Paternal firefighting exposure was not linked to increased birth defect risks in offspring. Studies on maternal firefighting exposure were limited, and future research should focus on occupational exposure matrices to reduce misclassification.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Reproductive Health
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Limited research exists on birth defects linked to parental firefighting exposure.
- Understanding occupational hazards for firefighters is crucial for reproductive health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between parental (maternal and paternal) occupational exposure to firefighting during periconception and the risk of offspring birth defects.
Main Methods:
- Utilized California birth certificate data (2007-2019) linked to hospitalization records.
- Categorized parental occupation as firefighting or non-firefighting during the periconceptional period.
- Analyzed birth defect prevalence using ICD codes and estimated adjusted odds ratios.
Main Results:
- Offspring of paternal firefighters showed lower odds of circulatory defects, oral clefts, and respiratory defects compared to non-firefighters.
- Associations between maternal firefighting and birth defects were imprecise due to limited data.
- Sensitivity analyses using police officers as a reference group attenuated findings.
Conclusions:
- Paternal firefighting exposure may be associated with similar or slightly lower odds of birth defects in offspring.
- Data on maternal firefighting exposure and birth defect risks is insufficient.
- Future research should employ occupational exposure matrices to improve exposure assessment and reduce misclassification.
Purpose:
Limited research examines birth defects from maternal or paternal firefighting exposure. This study aims to assess if maternal or paternal occupational exposure to firefighting during periconception is associated with offspring birth defects.
Methods:
Data from California birth certificates (2007-2019) were linked to maternal / offspring hospitalization records. Occupation during the periconceptional period was categorized from vital statistics as the following: paternal non-firefighting (n = 4,135,849), paternal firefighting (n = 22,732), maternal non-firefighting (n = 3,332,255) and maternal firefighting (n = 502). Birth defects were identified using ICD codes, grouped by anatomical regions. Adjusted odds ratios were estimated, and sensitivity analyses explored police officer reference groups and detailed birth defect categories.
Results:
Offspring of paternal firefighters had lower odds of circulatory defects (aOR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.8, 1.0), oral clefts (aOR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.4, 0.8) and respiratory defects (0.7, 95% CI 0.6, 0.9) compared to paternal non-firefighters. Associations between maternal firefighting and offspring birth defects were imprecise. Substituting police officers as the reference group attenuated findings.
Conclusions:
Offspring of paternal firefighters may have similar or slightly lower birth defect odds compared to offspring of non-firefighters. Limited data was available for assessing maternal firefighting outcomes. Future studies should prioritize studies using occupational exposure matrices to limit misclassification of exposure.
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