Trihalomethanes and its influence on birth weight
29/02/2012
The study attempts to relate the products ofwater disinfection with a lower weight in children at birth, and the duration of the gestation period, but the data that are obtained are inconclusive.
The aim of this study was to assess exposure totrihalomethanes (THM), the main products of drinking water during pregnancy through the various uses of water. These were related to lowbirth weight (LBW), with being small forgestational age (SGA) and preterm delivery.
This study was conducted with women and children from five areas of Spain(Granada, Valencia, Sabadell, Asturias and Gipuzkoa) who underwent evaluation in the period between 2000 and 2008. For this study data were collected through questionnaires water intake during pregnancy, as well as contact with water in the shower, while bathing or swimming in pools. Water samples were collected in areas where pregnant women lived, and combined information from personal water useobtained from the questionnaires to calculate an estimate of THM levels obtained for each woman during pregnancy. In total, 2,158 mothers and babies included in the analysis.
After this period of study and follow the detailed methodology, the average residentialTHM differed between areas, being on average lower in the Valencia area (5.9 g / L)and highest in the area of ??Sabadell (114 , 7 mg / L). It was estimated that the levels of THMs were purchased by women mostly originated in the bathroom and shower.
A 10{3effe4377b6f02be2524d084f7d03914ac32a2b62c0a056ca3444e58c1f10d0b} increase in the levels of THM in the home was associated with a change in birth weight of -0.45 grams in the case of chloroform and 0.16 grams for bromoform, twotypes of THM. In general, THMs were not associated with being small for gestational age, weighing less at birth or premature birth.
Despite high levels of THMs in some areas and the extensive exposure assessmentmade in this study, the results suggest that residential exposure to THMs during pregnancy, driven by the routes of inhalation and dermal contact are not associated with weight at birth, with being small for gestational age, with the low weight of a newborn or preterm birth in Spain.