Living near an incinerator increases the risks of a baby being born with spina bifida and congenital heart defects, a new study has found. The risk of lethal birth defects also increases for those living near crematoriums.
Those living in areas where waste incinerators are proposed, including Ringaskiddy, Cork, will view with alarm the new research released this morning in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, published by the British Medical Journal.
It will also disturb those living near Glasnevin's crematorium and the crematorium proposed for the lands in Co Dublin between Clondalkin and Tallaght off the Naas Road.
A research team from the University of Newcastle studied adverse pregnancy outcomes around both incinerators and crematoriums in Cumbria, northwest England, over the years from 1956 through 1993.
They looked in particular at any change in the risk of stillbirth, death soon after birth or lethal congenital abnormalities in babies born to mothers living near these facilities.
There were almost 245,000 births during the 37-year study period, the authors noted, of which 3,234 were stillborn and 1,569 had congenital abnormalities. A further 2,663 babies died shortly after birth.
There was no increased risk of stillbirth or death soon after birth for those living near incinerators but there was an increased risk of both spina bifida, a malformation of the spine and heart defects, the authors report. Spina bifida risk rose by 17 per cent and heart defect risk rose by 12 per cent for mothers living near incinerators.
Living near crematoriums posed different risks, the authors stated. The risk of stillbirth was 4 per cent higher among babies whose mothers lived near these facilities.