Women who are exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to give birth to smaller babies, delegates to a respiratory health conference will hear this weekend.
Norwegian research, to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy, found there was also a correlation between women living in greener areas having bigger babies.
Mr Robin Mzati Sinsamala, from the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Bergen (UiB), and colleagues used data from the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study, which included 4286 children and their mothers living in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Estonia.
The researchers measured the density of vegetation on satellite images to assess the greenness of the areas where the women lived during pregnancy.
They also used data on five pollutants: nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, black carbon (BC), and two types of particulate matter, PM2.5 and PM10.
The average levels of air pollution were within European Union standards and this information was compared with the babies birthweights, taking account of factors that affect birthweight.
The researchers found higher levels air pollution were linked with lower birthweights, with PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and BC associated with average reductions in birth weight of 56g, 46g, 48g and 48g, respectively.
When researchers took greenness into account, the effect of air pollution on birthweight was reduced and women who lived in greener areas had babies who were 27g heavier on average than mothers living in less green areas.
Mr Sinsamala said: The time when babies are growing in the womb is critical for lung development. We know that babies with lower birthweight are susceptible to chest infections, and this can lead on to problems like asthma and COPD later on.
Our results suggest that pregnant women exposed to air pollution, even at relatively low levels, give birth to smaller babies. They also suggest that living in a greener area could help counteract this effect. It could be that green areas tend to have lower traffic or that plants help to clear the air of pollution, or green areas may mean it s easier for pregnant women to be physically active.
The study is part of the Life-GAP (Lifespan and inter-generational respiratory effects of exposures to greenness and air pollution) research programme, which is investigating the effects of air pollution and greenness on lung health.
Abstract no: PA311 Preconception air pollution/greenness exposure and pregnancy outcomes: The Life-GAP Project, by Robin Mzati Sinsamala et al. Presented in session, Determinants of lung health at 08:00-09:30 CEST on Sunday 10 September 2023.
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