Ambient air pollution and the risk of stillbirth.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the risk of stillbirth associated with ambient air pollution during pregnancy. Using live birth and fetal death data from New Jersey from 1998 to 2004, the authors assigned daily concentrations of air pollution to each birth or fetal death. Generalized estimating equation models were used to estimate the relative odds of stillbirth associated with interquartile range increases in mean air pollutant concentrations in the first, second, and third trimesters and throughout the entire pregnancy. The relative odds of stillbirth were significantly increased with each 10-ppb increase in mean nitrogen dioxide concentration in the first trimester (odds ratio (OR) = 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 1.31), each 3-ppb increase in mean sulfur dioxide concentration in the first (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.28) and third (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.37) trimesters, and each 0.4-ppm increase in mean carbon monoxide concentration in the second (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.28) and third (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.24) trimesters. Although ambient air pollution during pregnancy appeared to increase the relative odds of stillbirth, further studies are needed to confirm these findings and examine mechanistic explanations.
Department of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Melbourne and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. faizas@umdnj.edu
Ambarina S
AS
Faiz
George G
GG
Rhoads
Kitaw
K
Demissie
Lakota
L
Kruse
Yong
Y
Lin
David Q
DQ
Rich
D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D012307:Risk Factors; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis
D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide