title: Climate change and fetal health: The impacts of exposure to extreme temperatures in New York City.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Climate change is projected to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of heat waves while reducing cold extremes, yet few studies have examined the relationship between temperature and fetal health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We estimate the impacts of extreme temperatures on birth weight and gestational age in Manhattan, a borough in New York City, and explore differences by socioeconomic status (SES).
  
  
  METHODS
  We combine average daily temperature from 1985 to 2010 with birth certificate data in Manhattan for the same time period. We then generate 33 downscaled climate model time series to project impacts on fetal health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We find exposure to an extra day where average temperature <25 °F and >85 °F during pregnancy is associated with a 1.8 and 1.7 g (respectively) reduction in birth weight, but the impact varies by SES, particularly for extreme heat, where teen mothers seem most vulnerable. We find no meaningful, significant effect on gestational age. Using projections of temperature from these climate models, we project average net reductions in birth weight in the 2070-2099 period of 4.6g in the business-as-usual scenario.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that increasing heat events from climate change could adversely impact birth weight and vary by SES.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Planning, Public Policy, and Management, 1209 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1209, USA. Electronic address: nngo@uoregon.edu.
authors.forename: Nicole S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Ngo
authors.affiliation: Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, USA.
authors.forename: Radley M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Horton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000397:Air Pollution; D001724:Birth Weight; D057231:Climate Change; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009519:New York City; D011247:Pregnancy; D012923:Social Class; D013696:Temperature
keywords: Climate change; Fetal health; Urban sustainability