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Maternal Exposure to Fine Particulate Pollution During Narrow Gestational Periods and Newborn Health in Harris County, Texas

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Abstract

It remains unclear when the fetus is most susceptible to the effects of particulate air pollution. We conducted a population-based study in a large urban area to evaluate associations between preterm birth (PTB) and fetal growth and exposures to fine particles (PM2.5) during narrow periods of gestation. We identified 177,816 births during 2005–2007 among mothers who resided in Harris County, Texas at the time of delivery. We created three mutually exclusive categories of mildly (33–36 completed weeks of gestation), moderately (29–32 weeks of gestation), and severely (20–28 weeks of gestation) PTB, and among full term infants, we identified those who were born small for their gestational age. Using routine air monitoring data, we generated county-level daily time series of estimated ambient air levels of PM2.5 and then computed exposure metrics during every 4 weeks of a mother’s pregnancy. We evaluated associations in each 4-week period using multiple logistic regression. A 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure in the first 4 weeks of pregnancy significantly increased the odds of mildly, moderately and severely PTB by 16, 71 and 73 %, respectively. Associations were stronger when infants with birth defects were excluded. Our findings indicate an association between PM2.5 and PTB, with stronger associations for moderately and severely PTB infants. Efforts should continue to implement stricter air quality standards and improve ambient air quality.

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Abbreviations

AQS:

Air Quality System

BMI:

Body mass index

CDC:

Centers for Disease Control

EPA:

US Environmental Protection Agency

LMP:

Last menstrual period

PM2.5 :

Particulate matter <2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter

PTB:

Preterm birth

SGA:

Small for gestational age

US:

United States

WIC:

Women, infants, and children

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Acknowledgments

Supported by a Grant 5R21ES017347 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The authors appreciate the assistance of personnel from the Texas Department of State Health Services in assembling data for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA

    Elaine Symanski, Michelle Karpman McHugh & Dorothy Kim Waller

  2. Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA

    Marivel Davila

  3. Division of Biostatistics, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA

    Xuan Zhang & Dejian Lai

Authors
  1. Elaine Symanski
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  2. Marivel Davila
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  3. Michelle Karpman McHugh
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  4. Dorothy Kim Waller
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  5. Xuan Zhang
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  6. Dejian Lai
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Correspondence to Elaine Symanski.

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Symanski, E., Davila, M., McHugh, M.K. et al. Maternal Exposure to Fine Particulate Pollution During Narrow Gestational Periods and Newborn Health in Harris County, Texas. Matern Child Health J 18, 2003–2012 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1446-7

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