Particulate matter (PM10) exposure, birth and fetal-placental weight and umbilical arterial pH: results from a prospective study

Abstract

Objective: This prospective study aims to analyze the relation between particulate matter (PM₁₀) exposure during pregnancy and birth weight (BW), placental weight (PW) and umbilical artery PH (UAPH).

Study design: Population included 3614 women born in Italy, living in Lombardia Region, consecutively admitted to the Clinica Mangiagalli for an elective cesarean section from January 2004 through December 2006. Outdoor air quality data were provided by the Department of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency and obtained by a network of fixed monitoring stations representatively distributed in eight geographical areas.

Results and conclusion: Birth weight was negatively associated with exposure to PM₁₀ concentration during the first trimester of pregnancy (mean change −22.2 g, 95%CI −8.7 to −35.7, p = 0.0013). Placental weight and umbilical artery PH were not associated with exposure to PM₁₀ concentration. Fetal weight was negatively associated with exposure to PM₁₀ concentration during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Keywords:

• Air pollution
• epidemiology
• birth weight
• placental weight
• umbilical artery pH

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Matteo Bonzini, Angela Pesatori from “Clinica del Lavoro Luigi Devoto Policlinico Milano” for collaboration in the study design and having built mathematical model for maternal pollutants profile. We thank the midwives from the delivery room of Clinica Mangiagalli Policlinico Milano for having collected part of the data.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest to declare for the current study.