The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #66250

Jennifer D. Parker, PhD, Population Epidemiology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301 458-4419, jdp3@cdc.gov, Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 75 Hawthorne Street(SPE-1), San Francisco, CA 94105, Rupa Basu, PhD, Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington DC, DC 21460, and Kenneth C. Schoendorf, MD, MPH, Office of Analysis, Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Infant and Child Health Studies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782.

Studies have found suggestive associations between birthweight and air pollution, mostly measured as carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter under 10 microns (PM10) . However, few data have been available to evaluate the relationship between fine particles, as measured by particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), and birthweight in the US. We evaluate the relationship between PM2.5 and CO and birthweight for17,884 singleton infants delivered at 40 weeks gestation, in California in 2000. Maternal residence at the time of birth was linked to the location of air quality monitors, by latitude and longitude. Average PM2.5 and CO concentrations within a five-mile radius were computed by trimester, and the nine-month pregnancy interval, for each infant. Linear regression models, describing the change in birthweight for a change in exposure, were fit. Nine-month exposure ranged from 4.4 to 30.3 ug/m3 for PM2.5 and 0.2 to 1.4 ppm for CO. Correlations between trimester-level PM2.5 exposures ranged from .46 to .65 and from .23 to .57 for CO. Correlations between CO and PM2.5 exposures, by trimester, were lower. For an interquartile range increase in PM2.5, birthweight was significantly lower by an average of 8.9 g, 10.8 g, and 17.0 g in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters, respectively; after adjustment for maternal race/ethnicity, education, marital status, parity, age, and season of delivery the associations decreased (3.8 g, 7.0 g, and 14.2 g) and was only significant for the third trimester of exposure. We found no association between trimester-level or nine-month CO exposures and birthweight.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand potential risks of poor air quality on fetal growth.
• Learn how trimester of exposure to air pollution differentially affects fetal growth.
• Understand the need to consider socioeconomic factors when evaluating studies of air quality and perinatal outcomes.

Keywords: Air Quality, Maternal and Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.