Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution and Respiratory Distress in Term Newborns: Results from the MIREC Prospective Pregnancy Cohort
Markey Johnson, Lauren Mazur, Mandy Fisher, William D. Fraser, Liu Sun, Perry Hystad, Chintan K. Gandhi
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Respiratory distress is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with adverse long-term respiratory outcomes; however, the impact of prenatal air pollution exposure on neonatal respiratory distress has not been well studied. OBJECTIVES: ) with respiratory distress and related neonatal outcomes. METHODS: ) were estimated using land-use regression and satellite-derived models coupled with ground-level monitoring and linked to participants based on residential location at birth. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between air pollution and physician-diagnosed respiratory distress in term neonates in hierarchical logistic regression models adjusting for detailed maternal and infant covariates. RESULTS: ; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.06). DISCUSSION: increased the risk of severe respiratory distress among term newborns. These findings support the development and prioritization of public health and prenatal care strategies to increase awareness and minimize prenatal exposures to air pollution. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12880.