Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ambient particulate matter and preterm birth or birth weight: a review of the literature

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Archives of Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To review epidemiologic evidence on maternal exposure to particulate matter and adverse pregnancy outcomes, we performed a MEDLINE search of the literature up to June 2009. We considered all original studies published in English including information on total suspended particles (TSP), respirable (PM10) or fine (PM2.5) particles and the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight (LBW) or very low birth weight (VLBW) and small for gestational age (SGA). We identified a total of 30 papers, including 13 with information on preterm birth, 17 on LBW or VLBW, and 4 on SGA. Eight studies on preterm birth, 11 studies on LBW/VLBW and two studies on SGA reported some increased risk (by about 10–20%) in relation to exposure to PM; no meaningful associations was found in the remaining studies. However, even in studies reporting some excess risk, this was inconsistent across exposure levels and pregnancy periods. Epidemiologic studies on maternal exposure to PM during pregnancy thus do not provide convincing evidence of an association with the risk of preterm birth and LBW/VLBW and SGA. The excess risks, if any, are small, and it is unclear whether they are causal, due to misclassification of the exposure or some sources of bias/residual confounding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andres RL, Day MC (2000) Perinatal complications associated with maternal tobacco use. Semin Neonatol 5:231–241

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bell ML, Ebisu K, Belanger K (2007) Ambient air pollution and low birth weight in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Environ Health Perspect 115:1118–1124

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bobak M (2000) Outdoor air pollution, low birth weight, and prematurity. Environ Health Perspect 108:173–176

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bobak M, Leon DA (1999) Pregnancy outcomes and outdoor air pollution: an ecological study in districts of the Czech Republic 1986–8. Occup Environ Med 56:539–543

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boffetta P, McLaughlin JK, La Vecchia C, Tarone RE, Lipworth L, Blot WJ (2008) False-positive results in cancer epidemiology: a plea for epistemological modesty. J Natl Cancer Inst 100:988–995

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brauer M, Lencar C, Tamburic L, Koehoorn M, Demers P, Karr C (2008) A cohort study of traffic-related air pollution impacts on birth outcomes. Environ Health Perspect 116:680–686

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Yang W, Jennison BL, Goodrich A, Omaye ST (2002) Air pollution and birth weight in northern Nevada, 1991–1999. Inhal Toxicol 14:141–157

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Choi H, Jedrychowski W, Spengler J, Camann DE, Whyatt RM, Rauh V, Tsai WY, Perera FP (2006) International studies of prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and fetal growth. Environ Health Perspect 114:1744–1750

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Choi H, Perera F, Pac A et al (2008) Estimating individual-level esposure to airbone polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons throughout the gestational period based on personal, indoor, and outdoor monitoring. Environ Health Perspect 116:1509–1518

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darrow LA, Woodruff TJ, Parker JD (2006) Maternal smoking as a confounder in studies of air pollution and infant mortality. Epidemiology 17:592–593

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dugandzic R, Dodds L, Stieb D, Smith-Doiron M (2006) The association between low level exposures to ambient air pollution and term low birth weight: a retrospective cohort study. Environ Health 5:3

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Glinianaia SV, Rankin J, Bell R, Pless-Mulloli T, Howel D (2004) Particulate air pollution and fetal health: a systematic review of the epidemiologic evidence. Epidemiology 15:36–45

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gouveia N, Bremner SA, Novaes HM (2004) Association between ambient air pollution and birth weight in Sao Paulo, Brazil. J Epidemiol Community Health 58:11–17

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ha EH, Hong YC, Lee BE, Woo BH, Schwartz J, Christiani DC (2001) Is air pollution a risk factor for low birth weight in Seoul? Epidemiology 12:643–648

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen C, Neller A, Williams G, Simpson R (2006) Maternal exposure to low levels of ambient air pollution and preterm birth in Brisbane, Australia. BJOG 113:935–941

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen C, Neller A, Williams G, Simpson R (2007) Low levels of ambient air pollution during pregnancy and fetal growth among term neonates in Brisbane, Australia. Environ Res 103:383–389

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen CA, Barnett AG, Pritchard G (2008) The effect of ambient air pollution during early pregnancy on fetal ultrasonic measurements during mid-pregnancy. Environ Health Perspect 116:362–369

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huynh M, Woodruff TJ, Parker JD, Schoendorf KC (2006) Relationships between air pollution and preterm birth in California. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 20:454–461

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang LL, Zhang YH, Song GX, Chen GH, Chen BH, Zhao NQ, Kan HD (2007) A time series analysis of outdoor air pollution and preterm birth in Shanghai, China. Biomed Environ Sci 20:426–431

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kannan S, Misra DP, Dvonch JT, Krishnakumar A (2006) Exposures to airborne particulate matter and adverse perinatal outcomes: a biologically plausible mechanistic framework for exploring potential effect modification by nutrition. Environ Health Perspect 114:1636–1642

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly FJ (2003) Oxidative stress: its role in air pollution and adverse health effects. Occup Environ Med 60:612–616

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim OJ, Ha EH, Kim BM et al (2007) PM10 and pregnancy outcomes: a hospital-based cohort study of pregnant women in Seoul. J Occup Environ Med 49:1394–1402

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee BE, Ha EH, Park HS, Kim YJ, Hong YC, Kim H, Lee JT (2003) Exposure to air pollution during different gestational phases contributes to risks of low birth weight. Hum Reprod 18:638–643

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee SJ, Hajat S, Steer PJ, Filippi V (2008) A time-series analysis of any short-term effects of meteorological and air pollution factors on preterm births in London, UK. Environ Res 106:185–194

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leem JH, Kaplan BM, Shim YK, Pohl HR, Gotway CA, Bullard SM, Rogers JF, Smith MM, Tylenda CA (2006) Exposures to air pollutants during pregnancy and preterm delivery. Environ Health Perspect 114:905–910

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lindbohm ML, Sallmen M, Taskinen H (2002) Effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke on reproductive health. Scand J Work Environ Health 28(Suppl 2):84–96

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maisonet M, Bush TJ, Correa A, Jaakkola JJ (2001) Relation between ambient air pollution and low birth weight in the Northeastern United States. Environ Health Perspect 109(Suppl 3):351–356

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maisonet M, Correa A, Misra D, Jaakkola JJ (2004) A review of the literature on the effects of ambient air pollution on fetal growth. Environ Res 95:106–115

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mannes T, Jalaludin B, Morgan G, Lincoln D, Sheppeard V, Corbett S (2005) Impact of ambient air pollution on birth weight in Sydney, Australia. Occup Environ Med 62:524–530

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morfeld P (2009) A plea for rigorous and honest science: false positive findings and biased presentations in epidemiological studies. Arch Toxicol 83:105–106

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nethery E, Leckie SE, Teschke K, Brauer M (2008) From measures to models: an evaluation of air pollution exposure assessment for epidemiological studies of pregnant women. Occup Environ Med 65:579–586

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parker JD, Woodruff TJ, Basu R, Schoendorf KC (2005) Air pollution and birth weight among term infants in California. Pediatrics 115:121–128

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perera FP, Jedrychowski W, Rauh V, Whyatt RM (1999) Molecular epidemiologic research on the effects of environmental pollutants on the fetus. Environ Health Perspect 107(Suppl 3):451–460

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peters A, Doring A, Wichmann HE, Koenig W (1997) Increased plasma viscosity during an air pollution episode: a link to mortality? Lancet 349:1582–1587

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ritz B, Wilhelm M (2008) Ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes: methodologic issues in an emerging field. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 102:182–190

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ritz B, Yu F, Chapa G, Fruin S (2000) Effect of air pollution on preterm birth among children born in Southern California between 1989 and 1993. Epidemiology 11:502–511

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ritz B, Wilhelm M, Hoggatt KJ, Ghosh JK (2007) Ambient air pollution and preterm birth in the environment and pregnancy outcomes study at the University of California, Los Angeles. Am J Epidemiol 166:1045–1052

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers JF, Dunlop AL (2006) Air pollution and very low birth weight infants: a target population? Pediatrics 118:156–164

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers JF, Thompson SJ, Addy CL, McKeown RE, Cowen DJ, Decoufle P (2000) Association of very low birth weight with exposures to environmental sulfur dioxide and total suspended particulates. Am J Epidemiol 151:602–613

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sagiv SK, Mendola P, Loomis D, Herring AH, Neas LM, Savitz DA, Poole C (2005) A time-series analysis of air pollution and preterm birth in Pennsylvania, 1997–2001. Environ Health Perspect 113:602–606

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salam MT, Millstein J, Li YF, Lurmann FW, Margolis HG, Gilliland FD (2005) Birth outcomes and prenatal exposure to ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter: results from the Children’s Health Study. Environ Health Perspect 113:1638–1644

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slama R, Morgenstern V, Cyrys J, Zutavern A, Herbarth O, Wichmann HE, Heinrich J (2007) Traffic-related atmospheric pollutants levels during pregnancy and offspring’s term birth weight: a study relying on a land-use regression exposure model. Environ Health Perspect 115:1283–1292

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slama R, Darrow L, Parker J et al (2008) Meeting report: atmospheric pollution and human reproduction. Environ Health Perspect 116:791–798

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen M, Daneshvar B, Hansen M, Dragsted LO, Hertel O, Knudsen L, Loft S (2003) Personal PM2.5 exposure and markers of oxidative stress in blood. Environ Health Perspect 111:161–166

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Srăm R (1999) Impact of air pollution on reproductive health. Environ Health Perspect 107:A542–A543

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Šrám RJ, Binkova B, Dejmek J, Bobak M (2005) Ambient air pollution and pregnancy outcomes: a review of the literature. Environ Health Perspect 113:375–382

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Triche EW, Hossain N (2007) Environmental factors implicated in the causation of adverse pregnancy outcome. Semin Perinatol 31:240–242

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Ding H, Ryan L, Xu X (1997) Association between air pollution and low birth weight: a community-based study. Environ Health Perspect 105:514–520

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilhelm M, Ritz B (2005) Local variations in CO and particulate air pollution and adverse birth outcomes in Los Angeles County, California, USA. Environ Health Perspect 113:1212–1221

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Windham GC, Eaton A, Hopkins B (1999) Evidence for an association between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and birthweight: a meta-analysis and new data. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 13:35–57

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Woodruff TJ, Parker JD, Darrow LA et al (2009) Methodological issues in studies of air pollution and reproductive health. Environ Res 109:311–320

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Ding H, Wang X (1995) Acute effects of total suspended particles and sulfur dioxides on preterm delivery: a community-based cohort study. Arch Environ Health 50:407–415

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang CY, Tseng YT, Chang CC (2003) Effects of air pollution on birth weight among children born between 1995 and 1997 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. J Toxicol Environ Health A 66:807–816

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mrs M.P. Bonifacino and I. Garimoldi for editorial assistance. This work was conducted with the support of the Flagship Project “ProLife”, Comune di Milano, Milan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy

    Cristina Bosetti, Silvano Gallus, Sonia Cipriani & Carlo La Vecchia

  2. IMIM, CIBERESP, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain

    Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen

  3. Istituto di Statistica Medica e Biometria “G.A. Maccacaro”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Carlo La Vecchia

  4. II Clinica Ostetrica Ginecologica, Università di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli, Regina Elena, Milan, Italy

    Fabio Parazzini

Authors
  1. Cristina Bosetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Silvano Gallus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sonia Cipriani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Carlo La Vecchia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Fabio Parazzini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristina Bosetti.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bosetti, C., Nieuwenhuijsen, M.J., Gallus, S. et al. Ambient particulate matter and preterm birth or birth weight: a review of the literature. Arch Toxicol 84, 447–460 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-010-0514-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-010-0514-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation