Author(s)

K. Polańska, M. Kowalska, W. Hanke

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between exposure to ambient air pollution and pregnancy duration, birth outcomes and children’s health.

The study was based on the data collected within the Polish Mother and Child Cohort (REPRO_PL). The analysis of PM₁₀ impact on birth outcomes and children’s health was restricted to 920 mother–child pairs. Daily PM₁₀ exposure was calculated according to a predictive model in which the following variables were included: district, distance between place of residence and main road, house density, linear, quadratic, cubic trends and cyclic time trends.

The average value of daily PM₁₀ concentration in ambient air was 32μg/m³. The association between PM₁₀ concentration in the second trimester of pregnancy and birth length was of borderline significance (p=0.06). The other assessments based on REPRO_PL cohort confirmed statistically significant relationship between PAH metabolites and cotinine level in pregnancy and the child cephalization index (p=0.04). Higher prenatal PAH metabolite concentrations increased the risk of more frequent (≥1/year) respiratory infections in children during the first year of life.

Presented study provides evidence that PM₁₀ and PAH exposure in pregnancy might adversely affect fetal development and children’s health.

Keywords

PM₁₀, birth outcomes, gestational age, children’s health, cohort study