Abstract
BackgroundOver the last decade, a few studies have investigated the possible adverse effects of ambient air pollution on preterm birth. However, the correlation between them still remains unclear, due to insufficient evidences.MethodsThe correlation between air pollution and preterm birth in Guangzhou city was examined by using the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) extended Poisson regression model in which we controlled the confounding factors such as meteorological factors, time trends, weather and day of the week (DOW). We also adjusted the co linearity of air pollutants by using Principal Component Analysis. The meteorological data and air pollution data were obtained from the Meteorological Bureau and the Environmental Monitoring Centre, while the medical records of newborns were collected from the perinatal health database of all obstetric institutions in Guangzhou, China in 2007.ResultsIn 2007, the average daily concentrations of NO2, PM10 and SO2 in Guangzhou, were 61.04, 82.51 and 51.67 μg/m3 respectively, where each day an average of 21.47 preterm babies were delivered. Pearson correlation analysis suggested a negative correlation between the concentrations of NO2, PM10, SO2, and temperature as well as relative humidity. As for the time-series GAM analysis, the results of single air pollutant model suggested that the cumulative effects of NO2, PM10 and SO2 reached its peak on day 3, day 4 and day 3 respectively. An increase of 100 μg/m3 of air pollutants corresponded to relative risks (RRs) of 1.0542 (95%CI: 1.0080 ~1.1003), 1.0688 (95%CI: 1.0074 ~1.1301) and 1.1298 (95%CI: 1.0480 ~1.2116) respectively. After adjusting co linearity by using the Principal Component Analysis, the GAM model of the three air pollutants suggested that an increase of 100 μg/m3 of air pollutants corresponded to RRs of 1.0185 (95%CI: 1.0056~1.0313), 1.0215 (95%CI: 1.0066 ~1.0365) and 1.0326 (95%CI: 1.0101 ~1.0552) on day 0; and RRs of the three air pollutants, at their strongest cumulative effects, were 1.0219 (95%CI: 1.0053~1.0386), 1.0274 (95%CI: 1.0066~1.0482) and 1.0388 (95%CI: 1.0096 ~1.0681) respectively.ConclusionsThis study indicates that the daily concentrations of air pollutants such as NO2, PM10 and SO2 have a positive correlation with the preterm births in Guangzhou, China.
Highlights
IntroductionA few studies have investigated the possible adverse effects of ambient air pollution on preterm birth
Over the last decade, a few studies have investigated the possible adverse effects of ambient air pollution on preterm birth
Correlation analysis of ambient air pollution and Meteorological factors indexes Pearson correlation analysis in Table 2 indicated that temperature and relative humidity were negatively associated with all three air pollutants
Summary
A few studies have investigated the possible adverse effects of ambient air pollution on preterm birth. Air pollution affects the health of children as well as the elderly, and it has been increasingly noticed and studied in the recent years as a new public health challenge. Some studies have already shown that air pollution is associated with an increased risk rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes [1,2]. In addition to fatal malformations, 70% of neonatal deaths and 75% of neonatal complications are associated with premature births [6]. It has been shown that prematurity was a major cause in neonatal deaths, and a substantial contributor to diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and hypertension in adulthood [8,9]. Seeking the causes and the risk factors of preterm birth is of vital importance to public health
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