Keywords
congenital anomalies
low-birth weight newborn
preterm labor
environmental pollutants
maternal exposure
How to Cite
Abstract
Fracking (hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking) refers to one of the unconventional methods whereby oil or natural gas is extracted by injecting fluids at high pressure. Its implementation has had a significant environmental impact and caused different adverse effects on human health. This paper reviews the evidence of the relationship between exposure to unconventional natural gas development wells and preterm delivery, low birth weight, congenital heart defects, neurodevelopmental defects and size for gestational age in newborns. A search was conducted in the PubMed database using inclusion criteria such as type of study (retrospective cohort and case-control), study population, exposure assessment, data management and health outcomes. Of the 166 articles found, 8 articles in which a positive correlation between the intensity and distance of unconventional gas extraction wells and the occurrence of alterations in pregnant women and newborns, such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, congenital heart defects, neurodevelopmental defects and height for gestational age, was found were included in this review. Despite the positive findings of this review, and due to the inconclusive results of this research, further research into exposure and the occurrence of potential developmental effects in newborns is recommended to support this review.
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