Adverse pregnancy outcome in a petrochemical polluted area in Taiwan.

The petrochemical industry is the main source of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. Reported here are the results from an ongoing study of outdoor air pollution and the health of individuals living in a community in close proximity to petrochemical industrial complexes. The prevalences of term low birth weight (LBW) in the petrochemical municipality and control municipality were 3.22%, and 1.84%, respectively. After controlling for several possible confounders (including maternal age, season, marital status, maternal education, and infant sex), the adjusted odds ratio was 1.767 (1.002-3.116) for term LBW in the petrochemical municipality. Data provide further support for the hypothesis that air pollution can affect the outcome of pregnancy.

Increased risk of preterm delivery in areas with air pollution from a petroleum refinery plant in Taiwan.

The petrochemical and petroleum industries are among the main sources of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. Data in this study concern outdoor air pollution and the health of individuals living in communities in close proximity to a petroleum refinery plant. The prevalence of delivery of preterm birth infants was significantly higher in mothers living in a petroleum refinery area compared to controls in Taiwan. After controlling for several possible confounders (including maternal age, season, marital status, maternal education, and infant sex), the adjusted odds ratio was 1.41 (95% CI = 1.08-1.82) for delivery of preterm infants in the polluted region. Data support the view that air pollution can affect the outcome of pregnancy.

Female lung cancer mortality and sex ratios at birth near a petroleum refinery plant.

This study was conducted to assess whether female mortality from lung cancer is associated with residence in communities adjacent to a petroleum refinery plant and whether petroleum air pollution could affect the sex ratios of births. The Kaohsiung Refinery of the Chinese Petroleum Corp. is the oldest oil refinery in Taiwan and is located between the Tso-Ying and the Nan-Tzu municipalities. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for female lung cancer and sex ratios of births were calculated for each municipality for the years 1971-1996. Cumulative-sum techniques were used to detect the occurrence of changes in the SMRs. The study results show that mortality from female lung cancer rose gradually about 30 to 37 years after the operation of a petroleum refinery plant began. However, the association between exposure to the petroleum air pollution and abnormal sex ratios at birth was not significant.

Female lung cancer and petrochemical air pollution in Taiwan.

To investigate the relationship between petrochemical air pollution and female lung cancer, we conducted a matched case-control study among women who had died in Taiwan from 1990 through 1994. Data about all eligible female lung cancer deaths were obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Health. The control group included women who died from nonneoplasms and diseases that were not associated with respiratory problems. We pair-matched the controls to the cases by sex, year of birth, and year of death. Each matched control was selected randomly from the set of possible controls for each case. We used the proportion of a municipality's total population employed in the petrochemical manufacturing industry as an indicator of a resident's exposure to air emissions from the petrochemical manufacturing industry. The subjects were divided into tertiles according to the above indicator. Women who lived in the 2 groups of municipalities characterized by higher levels of petrochemical pollution had a statistically significant higher risk of developing lung cancer than the group that lived in municipalities with the lowest petrochemical air pollution levels (after controlling for possible confounders). The linear trend was also statistically significant (p < .05). The results of this study shed important light on the relationship between the Taiwan petrochemical industry and the resulting risk to human health.

Cancer mortality and residence near petrochemical industries in Taiwan.

An ecologic study design was used to investigate the relationship between cancer risks and residence in communities adjacent to petrochemical industrial counties (PICs). Directly age-adjusted mortality rates for cancer during 1982-1991 among 16 counties characterized by a heavy concentration of petrochemical industries were compared to rates among 16 matched counties with similar concentration of nonpetrochemical manufacturing industries, urbanization level, and demographic characteristics. An excess rate for liver cancer among males was found in the so-called PICs. The correlation could not be explained by confounding variables such as urbanization, socioeconomic class, or employment in nonpetrochemical industries. No other increased cancer risks were found to be associated with residence near petrochemical industries.