Abstract
The 1980 National Natality Survey (NNS) and 1980 National Fetal Mortality Survey (NFMS) provide a unique opportunity to examine variation in exposure to radiation during pregnancy for mothers of live-born and stillborn infants. Maternal race, age, education, and marital status in both surveys and low birth weight in the 1980 NNS are characteristics used to examine exposure rates for X-ray, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, shortwave, and microwave radiation examinations and treatments. About 15 percent of mothers of live infants and 23 percent of mothers who experienced stillbirths (fetal deaths of 28 weeks or more gestation) had a medical X-ray procedure during pregnancy. The 15 percent exposed in 1980 was a reduction from 22.5 percent of mothers exposed according to the results of the 1963 NNS; this reduction occurred in all race and age groups. About 34 percent of 1980 NNS mothers and 53 percent of 1980 NFMS mothers had ultrasound exposure during pregnancy. Radiation exposure rates were higher for 1980 NNS mothers who had low birth weight infants (under 2,500 g, or 5 lb, 8 oz) than for those who had normal weight infants.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Brown M. L., Roney P. L., Gitlin J. N., Moore R. T. X-ray experience during pregnancy. JAMA. 1967 Jan 30;199(5):309–314. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- STEWART A., BARBER R. Survey of childhood malignancies. Public Health Rep. 1962 Feb;77:129–139. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Scheidt P. C., Stanley F., Bryla D. A. One-year follow-up of infants exposed to ultrasound in utero. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1978 Aug 1;131(7):743–748. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(78)90238-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stewart A., Kneale G. W. Changes in the cancer risk associated with obstetric radiography. Lancet. 1968 Jan 20;1(7534):104–107. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)92719-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stewart A., Kneale G. W. Radiation dose effects in relation to obstetric x-rays and childhood cancers. Lancet. 1970 Jun 6;1(7658):1185–1188. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(70)91782-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stolzenberg S. J., Torbit C. A., Edmonds P. D., Taenzer J. C. Effects of ultrasound on the mouse exposed at different stages of gestation: acute studies. Radiat Environ Biophys. 1980;17(3):245–270. doi: 10.1007/BF01323651. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]