TWINS AND TOXIC WASTE INCINERATORS

The relation between twin pregnancies and environmental exposures has rarely been investigated. However, the study by Obi-Osius et al (p. 482) adds to a small but growing body of evidence that twinning rates may be higher in residents living near toxic waste incinerators. The frequency of twinning was compared in different municipalities of Hess, Germany by two different means: a cross-sectional interview of mothers (and children) to obtain a lifetime residency and reproductive history, and a separate analysis of some 20 600 births coded using the HEPS (Hessian Perinatal Study) birth records database. In each investigation, mothers were classified according to their place of residence. As judged by interviews, twinning was two to three times more common in women living near a toxic waste …