Comparative study assessing birth outcomes in health facilities within the highly crude oil refining Eleme community of Rivers State and the non-oil refining Ubakala-Umuahia in Abia State

Abstract

Constant exposure to outdoor air pollution by populations within crude oil refineries in Southern part of Nigeria has continued to attract research interests due to its health implications. This study investigated birth outcomes in health facilities within the highly crude oil refining Eleme community of Rivers State and the non-oil refining Ubakala-Umuahia in Abia State. A retrospective comparative cohort design based on obstetric/midwifery records of birth was used for this study. This design required the review of the records over a five-year period (2015-2020). The cohorts involved a population exposed to ambient air pollution from the Port Harcourt petroleum refinery source and a non-exposed population residing at Ubakala-Umuahia (about 100km away from the Port Harcourt refinery). A total sample size of 412 was used for the study. In Eleme, a total of 206 birth records were systematically selected (Interval: every 18th record) from 2015-2020. In Ubakala-umuahia PHC, a total of 206 birth records. The results showed that birth risk was two times higher in the exposed group than in the non-exposed group (p = 0.012); between the exposed and non-exposed groups, there was a significant difference in birth weight (p = 0.018) and congenital abnormalities (p = 0.004). When compared to the non-exposed group, participants in the exposed group had 89% higher risk of low birth weight and a 6 times higher chance of congenital abnormalities. The study recommended that government and other stake holders should encourage off-shore fossil fuel refining, and public health policy makers and governments should regulate the emission of particulate matter which is incriminated as a major cause of air pollution.