Abstract
Background: Although there have been growing concerns about the adverse effects of air pollution on birth outcomes, little is known about which specific exposure times of specific pollutants contribute to low birth weight (LBW). Methods: We evaluated the relationships between LBW and air pollution exposure levels in Seoul, Korea. Using the air pollution data, we estimated the exposure during each trimester and also during each month of pregnancy on the basis of the gestational age and birth date of each newborn. Generalized additive logistic regression analyses were conducted considering infant sex, birth order, maternal age, parental education level, time trend, and gestational age. Results: The monthly analyses suggested that the risks for LBW tended to increase with carbon monoxide (CO) exposure between months 2-5 of pregnancy, with exposure to particles <10 μm (PM10) in months 2 and 4, and for sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure between months 3-5. Conclusions: This study suggests that exposure to CO, PM10, SO2 and NO2 during early to mid pregnancy contribute to risks for LBW.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 638-643 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Human Reproduction |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Mar 2003 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by grant No. 2000–0-219–003–2 from the Basic Research Program of the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation.
Keywords
- Air pollution
- Carbon monoxide
- Low birth weight
- Nitrogen dioxide
- PM
- Sulphur dioxide