S. M. J. Mortazavi1, K Raygan Shirazi2, G Mortazavi3
1Department of Medical Physics and Medical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz; The Center for Research on Radiological Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
2The Center for Research on Radiological Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz; Department of Radiology, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
3Student Research Committee, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
DOI: 10.4103/0976-9668.107293
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Life evolved in an environment filled with a wide variety of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It was previously reported that medical exposures to pregnant women increases the risk of low birth weight. This study intends to investigate the relationship between exposure to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and the risk of low birth weight. Materials and Methods: One thousand two hundred mothers with their first-term labor (vaginal or cesarean) whose newborns’ history had been registered in neonates’ screening program in Shiraz were interviewed and surveyed. Data collection was performed by the assessment of mother’s history of radiography before and during pregnancy, physical examination of the mother for height and weight and weighing and examining the newborn for any diagnosis of disease and anomalies. Results: There were no statistical significant differences between the mean weight of newborns whose mothers had been exposed to some common sources of ionizing and non-ionizing radiations such as dental or non dental radiographies, mobile phone, cordless phone and cathode ray tube (CRT) and those of non-exposed mothers. Conclusions: The findings of this study cast doubt on previous reports, which indicated that exposure to ionizing radiation during pregnancy increased the risk of low birth weight.
Keywords: Ionizing radiation, low birth weight, non-ionizing radiation, pregnancy, term labor.
