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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Elizabeth P. Kruger, MPH, Oklahoma Public Health Environmental Tracking System (OK-PHETS), Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 N.E. 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117, 405-271-8333, elizabek@health.ok.gov, Hub Baggett, MS, Customer Services Division, Oklahoma Public Health Environmental Tracking System (OK-PHETS), 707 N. Robinson, Oklahoma City, OK 73101, Kay Pearson, MS, Oklahoma Birth Defects Registry, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 N.E. 10th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73117, and Edd Rhoades, MD, MPH, Family Health Services, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 N.E. 10th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73117.

Recurrent birth defects are defined as cases where a mother has two or more children with different types of birth defects after excluding any chromosomal or syndromic cases. The defects are categorized by embryologic development based on their sensitive timing of induction. This study is unique in that genetic risks associated with individual birth defects are controlled for by the selection of women with recurrent, yet different birth defects. Therefore, it is assumed that these birth defects are caused by environmental factors and not genetic factors. The number of cases in this study is relatively small when compared with specific defects examined separately.

From 1994-2003, there have been over 250 cases of mothers with recurrent birth defects. This presentation explores spatial relationships between recurrent birth defects and potential environmental contaminants in Oklahoma. Birth defects will be categorized by the stage of development to remove potential genetic causes. Using Geographic Information Systems and spatial cluster analysis software, researchers analyze and map the home locations of recurrent birth defect cases from the Oklahoma Birth Defects Registry database. The locations of environmental hazards such as Superfund sites, Toxic Release Inventory sites, and Air Emission Inventory sites are also mapped. Census of Agriculture (pesticides) and Corporation Commission (underground gasoline storage tanks) hazard data are examined. Visual and statistical analysis is conducted to determine environmental hazard relationships with recurrent birth defects.

Learning Objectives: