The Possible Association between Exposure to Air Pollution and the Adverse Birth Outcomes
2Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel Aviv University
3Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science
4Center for Risk Analysis, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research Ltd.
Objectives: To evaluate the possible association between exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes among children born following assisted reproductive technology (ART) and spontaneously conceived (SC) pregnancies.
Methods: Historical cohort of 207,825 SC and 8,905 ART conceived infants, during the period 1997-2004. Air pollution data included sulfur oxides (SO2), particulate matter 10), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ozone (O3). Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Kriging procedure, exposure during pregnancy was assessed for each woman according to her residential location. Adjusted risks were calculated for congenital malformations (CM), small for gestational age (SGA), low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB).
Results: Higher levels of PM10 were associated with an increased risk for CM and PTB OR=1.06(95%CI 1.01-1.11) and OR=1.05(95%CI 1.02-1.08) respectively. Higher levels of NOX were also associated with increased risk of CM and PTB. Higher levels of O3 were associated with an increased risk for SGA; OR=1.03(95%CI 0.99-1.08) and for LBW; OR=1.10(95%CI 1.02-1.18). In the ART group higher levels of O3 exposure were associated with slightly higher risk for all adverse outcomes.
Conclusion: The current study is the first nation-wide study which evaluates the impact of air pollution on birth outcomes with special emphasis on ART pregnancies. Preliminary results suggest that exposure to higher levels of air pollution may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Further studies are warranted including a larger sample size for ART pregnancies, in order to confirm these associations.
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