Maternal Exposure to Air Pollution May Lower Birth Weight of Babies
A study in Kaohsiung, Taiwan has reported a significant exposure-response relationship between material exposures to sulfur dioxide and PM10 during the first trimester of pregnancy and lowered birth weight.
The study of 54,000 deliveries in Taiwan’s second largest city correlated mothers’ residences with data from air quality monitoring stations less than 2 kilometers away. Maternal exposures were estimated for different gestational ages of each child. Various confounders including maternal age, season, marital status, maternal education and infant gender were controlled for.
Another study on the relationship between low birth weight and air pollution exposure in Seoul, Korea found that exposure to carbon monoxide, PM10, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide during early to mid pregnancy contributes to risks or low birth weight babies.
Yang, C.Y., Tseng, Y.T., Chang, C.C. Effects of Air Pollution on Birth Weight Among Children Born Between 1995 and 1997 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. J Toxicol Environ Health A. Vol. 65, No. 9, pp. 6070816, May 9, 2003.
The National Library of Medicine offers the [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/] abstract online.
Lee, B.E., Ha, E.H., Park, H.S., Kim, Y.J., Hong, Y.C., Kim, H., and Lee, J.T. Exposure to Air Pollution During Different Gestational Phases Contributes to Risks of Low Birth Weight. Human Reproduction. Vol. 3, pp. 638-643, March 2003.
The National Library of Medicine offers the [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/] abstract online.
