Unconventional natural gas developments (UNGD) may release air and water pollutants into the environment, potentially increasing the risk of birth defects. We conducted a case-control study evaluating 52,955 cases with birth defects and 642,399 controls born between 1999 to 2011 to investigate the relationship between UNGD exposure and the risk of gastroschisis, congenital heart defects (CHD), neural tube defects (NTDs), and orofacial clefts in Texas. We calculated UNGD densities (number of UNGDs per area) within 1, 3, and 7.5 km of maternal address at birth and categorized exposure by density tertiles. For CHD subtypes with large case numbers, we also performed time-stratified analyses to examine temporal trends. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association with UNGD exposure, accounting for maternal characteristics and neighborhood factors. We also included a bivariable smooth of geocoded maternal location in an additive model to account for unmeasured spatially varying risk factors. Positive associations were observed between the highest tertile of UNGD density within 1 km of maternal address and risk of anencephaly (aOR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.55, 3.86), spina bifida (aOR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.47, 2.99), gastroschisis among older mothers (aOR: 3.19, 95% CI: 1.77, 5.73), aortic valve stenosis (aOR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.33, 2.71), hypoplastic left heart syndrome (aOR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.39, 2.86), and pulmonary valve atresia or stenosis (aOR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.66). For CHD subtypes, results did not differ substantially by distance from maternal address or when residual confounding was considered, except for atrial septal defects. We did not observe associations with orofacial clefts. Our results suggest that UNGDs were associated with some CHDs and possibly NTDs. In addition, we identified temporal trends and observed presence of spatial residual confounding for some CHDs.

非常规天然气开发（UNGD）可能会将空气和水污染物释放到环境中，从而可能增加出生缺陷的风险。我们进行了一项案例对照研究，评估了52955例出生缺陷的病例和642399例出生于1999年至2011年之间的对照，以调查UNGD暴露与胃chi裂，先天性心脏缺陷（CHD），神经管缺陷（NTDs）和口面的风险之间的关系。在德克萨斯州裂口。我们计算了出生时距母体地址1、3和7.5公里内的UNGD密度（每个区域的UNGD数），并按密度三分位数对暴露程度进行了分类。对于具有大量病例的冠心病亚型，我们还进行了时间分层分析以检查时间趋势。我们计算了与UNGD暴露相关的调整后的优势比（aOR）和95％置信区间（CI），解释孕产妇特征和邻里因素。我们还在加性模型中包括了地理编码的产妇位置的双变量平滑度，以说明未测量的空间变化的风险因素。在产妇地址1 km内UNGD密度最高的三分位数与无脑风险（aOR：2.44，95％CI：1.55，3.86），脊柱裂（aOR：2.09，95％CI：1.47，2.99）之间存在正相关性，年龄较大的母亲的胃痉挛（aOR：3.19，95％CI：1.77，5.73），主动脉瓣狭窄（aOR：1.90，95％CI：1.33，2.71），发育不良的左心综合征（aOR：2.00，95％CI：1.39 ，2.86）和肺动脉瓣闭锁或狭窄（aOR：1.36、95％CI：1.10、1.66）。对于CHD亚型，除房间隔缺损外，结果与母体住址的距离或考虑到残留混杂因素时，结果无显着差异。我们没有观察到与口面部裂隙的关联。我们的结果表明，UNGD与某些CHD以及可能与NTD相关。此外，我们确定了时间趋势，并观察到某些冠心病存在空间残余混杂现象。