Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Air pollution is a health risk in pregnant women and young children. Despite the importance of refined exposure assessments particularly at low exposure levels, characterization of personalized air pollution exposure remains a challenge in pediatric and perinatal epidemiology. Our objective was to use small and portable personal monitors to characterize exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants in pregnant women. METHODS: We recruited 291 pregnant women from the New York University Children’s Health Study (November 2019-February 2021). We provided women with a monitor, Flow by Plume Labs, which measures concentrations of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the personalized air inhaled by individuals. For 184 women (63%), real-time air pollution data were stored in the secure database via HTTPS synchronization with a smart phone application. RESULTS:Compared to women with no pollution data (n=107), women with effective use of monitors were more likely to be Non-Hispanic White (48% vs 21%) and married/partnered (94% vs 85%) and had Associate degree or higher (76% vs 36%). Participants were more likely to effectively use the device, if given in-person than by mail. The median for duration of air monitor use was 7 days [interquartile range (IQR): 10]. The median of daily average exposure was 1.42 μg/m3 for PM≤1μm (IQR=2.22), 3.25 μg/m3 for PM≤2.5μm (IQR=4.03), 12.48 μg/m3 for PM≤10μm (IQR=14.94), 12.35 ppm for NO2 (IQR=12.48), and 167.72 ppb for VOC (IQR=40.93). Average hourly levels during night and day were similar. Using functional principal component analysis, we identified three patterns of diurnal exposure, which explained 85% of variation in data. The most dominant pattern showed relatively stable exposure with a drop in exposure levels around late morning. CONCLUSIONS:Small wearable devices represent a promising method for assessment of short- and long-term exposure to air pollution in epidemiological settings. KEYWORDS: Exposure assessment-air pollution, pregnancy outcomes
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