Environmental pollution and delivery outcome in southern Sweden: A study with central registries

Objective. To study whether differences in delivery outcome correlated with pollution levels in the municipalities of a county in southern Sweden (Malmohus). Methods: The effects of air and ground pollution on delivery outcome were studied in 38 718 women who lived, and were delivered, in Malmohus county in southern Sweden during the period 1985-90. Delivery outcome was compared between different municipalities arranged according to the degree of pollution. Results: Neither air nor ground pollution affected the odds ratios for short gestation or low birthweight. No significant effect was seen on perinatal deaths or non-trivial malformations, but in the municipality with the highest arsenic concentration, 14 infants died perinatally versus the expected 7.4, and the odds ratio for stillbirths reached formal statistical significance. Conclusions: Environmental pollution in this county does not seem to be a major determinant of delivery outcome.