TCE and Congenital Heart Defects

chds and the environm In 1980, researchers noticed an abnormally high number of children being born with congenital heart defects. Many of the children were born to mothers who lived in Southern Arizona, in just one zip code. In 1981 after drinking water wells contaminated with an industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) were closed, the rate of heart defects decreased.

Epidemiological studies confirmed an association between women in their first trimester who were exposed to drinking water contaminated by TCE and an increased prevalence of heart defects in their children. Once the contaminated wells were closed, the rate of heart defects decreased, but researchers still didn't know exactly if and how TCE related to the malformations. Read more: http://superfund.pharmacy.arizona.edu/news/tcefinal.html

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