Association between risk of birth defects occurring level and arsenic concentrations in soils of Lvliang, Shanxi province of China

•Association between soil geochemical components and birth defects risk was proposed.•The relative risk difference among villages were estimated with CAR model.•Arsenic levels in cropland showed a significant association to birth defect risk.•The finding warrants further investigation on arsenic as a teratogen.

The risk of birth defects is generally accredited with genetic factors, environmental causes, but the contribution of environmental factors to birth defects is still inconclusive. With the hypothesis of associations of geochemical features distribution and birth defects risk, we collected birth records and measured the chemical components in soil samples from a high prevalence area of birth defects in Shanxi province, China. The relative risk levels among villages were estimated with conditional spatial autoregressive model and the relationships between the risk levels of the villages and the 15 types of chemical elements concentration in the cropland and woodland soils were explored. The results revealed that the arsenic levels in cropland soil showed a significant association with birth defects occurring risk in this area, which is consistent with existing evidences of arsenic as a teratogen and warrants further investigation on arsenic exposure routine to birth defect occurring risk.