Abstract
Oil spills and gas flaring are major environmental problems and pose major source of adverse health outcomes to communities hosting oil wells and natural gas. As oil is spilt and gas is flared; air, soil and water in affected communities are polluted. Due to this, members of these communities are exposed to higher health risks. One vulnerable group that is usually affected in this regard is pregnant women. This systematic review identified and reviewed past studies on oil pollution and different types of pregnancy outcomes within a twenty-year gap, which is between 1999 and 2019. The review also discussed the exposure pathways of oil pollution. From a literature search on scientific databases conducted in August 2019 for articles relating to the objectives of the review, data were extracted from articles which met the inclusion criteria and contents were systematically analyzed based on types of pregnancy outcomes. This review showed that oil spill and gas flaring may put pregnant women at high risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, maternal depression, miscarriages via three pathways. This review may be of some use in making policy in this area.
Highlights
Oil spills and gas flaring are common occurrences in crude oil-producing communities
This review showed that oil spill and gas flaring may put pregnant women at high risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, maternal depression, miscarriages via three pathways
This review focused on literature relating to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, maternal depression, miscarriage and stillbirth, low birthweight, birth defects and neonatal mortality as a result of exposure to oil spill and gas flaring
Summary
Oil spills and gas flaring are common occurrences in crude oil-producing communities. Environmental degradation from crude oil exploration and extraction activities have posed significant health risk to residents in oil-rich regions. Majority of these residents are susceptible to health problems; some population sub-groups, like pregnant women, are more vulnerable. Environmental pollutants that are released when oil is spilt and gas flared have the potential to affect both the mother and growing fetus through maternal exposure before conception, during pregnancy and after delivery [6]
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