Maternal Exposure to Particulate Matter during Pregnancy and Adverse Birth Outcomes in the Republic of Korea

Yu Jin Kim, In Gyu Song, Kyoung-Nam Kim, Min Sun Kim, Sung-Hoon Chung, Yong-Sung Choi and Chong-Woo Bae
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Yu Jin Kim: Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul 02447, Korea
In Gyu Song: Central Hospice Center, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 10408, Korea
Kyoung-Nam Kim: Division of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Korea
Min Sun Kim: Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Korea
Sung-Hoon Chung: Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul 05278, Korea
Yong-Sung Choi: Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul 02447, Korea
Chong-Woo Bae: Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul 05278, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-10

Abstract: Air pollution has become a global concern due to its association with numerous health effects. We aimed to assess associations between birth outcomes in Korea, such as preterm births and birth weight in term infants, and particulate matter < 10 µm (PM 10 ). Records from 1,742,183 single births in 2010–2013 were evaluated. Mean PM 10 concentrations during pregnancy were calculated and matched to birth data by registered regions. We analyzed the frequency of birth outcomes between groups using WHO criteria for PM 10 concentrations with effect sizes estimated using multivariate logistic regression. Women exposed to PM 10 > 70 µg/m 3 during pregnancy had a higher rate of preterm births than women exposed to PM 10 ≤ 70 µg/m 3 (7.4% vs. 4.7%, P < 0.001; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.570; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.487–1.656). The rate of low birth weight in term infants increased when women were exposed to PM 10 > 70 µg/m 3 (1.9% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.278), but this difference was not statistically significant (aOR 1.060, 95% CI: 0.953–1.178). In conclusion, PM 10 exposure > 70 µg/m 3 was associated with preterm births. Further studies are needed to explore the pathophysiologic mechanisms and guide policy development to prevent future adverse effects on birth outcomes.

Keywords: maternal exposure; particulate matter; preterm birth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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