title: Exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during pregnancy and risk of preterm birth.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preterm birth is an important marker of health and has a prevalence of 12-13% in the U.S. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of organic contaminants that form during the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, such as coal, diesel and gasoline. Studies suggest that exposure to PAHs during pregnancy is related to adverse birth outcomes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between exposure to PAHs during the pregnancy and preterm birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included births from years 2001 to 2006 of women whose maternal residence was within 20km of the primary monitoring site in Fresno, California. Data in the Fresno area were used to form a spatio-temporal model to assign daily exposure to PAHs with 4, 5, or 6 rings at the maternal residence throughout pregnancy of all of the births in the study area. Gestational age at birth and relevant covariates were extracted from the birth certificate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found an association between PAHs during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy and birth at 20-27 weeks (OR=2.74; 95% CI: 2.24-3.34) comparing the highest quartile to the lower three. The association was consistent when each quartile was compared to the lowest (OR2nd=1.49, 95% CI: 1.08-2.06; OR3rd=2.63, 95% CI:1.93-3.59; OR4th=3.94, 95% CI:3.03-5.12). Inverse associations were also observed for exposure to PAHs during the entire pregnancy and the first trimester and birth at 28-31 weeks and 20-27 weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An association between PAH exposure during the 6 weeks before delivery and early preterm birth was observed. However, the inverse association with early preterm birth offers an unclear, and potentially complex, inference of these associations.
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Padula
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Noth
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: S Katharine
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.affiliation: Sonoma Technology, Inc., Petaluma, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Fred W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Lurmann
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ira B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Tager
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Gary M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Shaw
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008954:Models, Biological; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
keywords: Outdoor air pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Pregnancy; Prematurity