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A growing body of evidence suggests that ambient air pollution could be associated with low birthweight (LBW). In this study, we examined pregnancy exposure to ambient PM2.5and the risk of LBW in the State of Georgia. The study population consisted of 48,172 full-term live births between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2004 in nine counties of Georgia, which was obtained from the national natality dataset. County-level air quality index data obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was used to estimate exposure to ambient levels of PM2.5. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that infants with maternal exposure to PM2.5falling within 75 to < 95th percentiles were at increased risk of LBW (OR: 1.36; 95 % CI: 1.03, 1.79), after adjusting for potential confounders. This study provided more evidence on the role of PM2.5in LBW. Reducing exposure for pregnant women would be necessary to improve the health of infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies has pointed to air pollution as an additional factor that could be associated with preterm birth. We assessed in this study the association between exposure to PM 2.5 in ambient air during pregnancy and preterm birth in metropolitan areas of the state of Georgia, where the rate of preterm birth has been among the highest in the nation over the years. Birth data were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics natality dataset. The study population consisted of 53,094 singleton live births between January 1 and December 31, 2004 in nine metropolitan counties of Georgia. Preterm birth was defined as birth, which occurs before 37 weeks of gestation. County-level daily air quality index (AQI) data obtained from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was used to estimate individual exposure levels of PM 2.5 for each study participant based on the county of residence for the duration of the pregnancy. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association, adjusting for potential confounders. Of the infants whose mothers resided in the nine metropolitan counties of Georgia, 4543 (8.6%) were born preterm. A higher rate of preterm birth (9.8%) was observed in infants whose mothers were exposed to ambient PM 2.5 with AQI values > 50 than the ones with AQI ≤ 50 (EPA standard for good air quality conditions). Mothers with exposure to PM 2.5 at average AQI values greater than 50 during the entire pregnancy were at increased risk of preterm birth (odds ratio 1.15; 95% CI 1.07, 1.25), after adjusting for sex of infant, mother's age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, prenatal care, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and season of conception. The study provides more evidence on the role of PM 2.5 in preterm birth. Reducing exposure to ambient particulate matter, especially in urban areas, for pregnant women would be necessary to improve the health of infants.