Exposure to coarse particulate matter during gestation and term low birthweight in California: Variation in exposure and risk across region and socioeconomic subgroup.

Despite evidence that particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM ₁₀ ) or ≤2.5 μm (PM _2.5 ) are associated with several adverse birth outcomes, research on the association between coarse particulate matter (PM _10-2.5 ) and birth outcomes is scarce, and results have been inconsistent. Furthermore, the literature is unclear whether associations between PM ₁₀ and adverse birth outcomes were driven by PM _2.5 alone or also by PM _10-2.5 exposure. Research on the variation in exposure to and risk from PM _10-2.5 across populations is also needed to identify potentially vulnerable subgroups. We used birth certificate and ambient air monitoring data in California from 2002 to 2013 to develop a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women and their infants. Averaged gestational and trimester-specific exposures of PM _10-2.5 and PM _2.5 were calculated for mothers whose residential zip code tabulation areas were within a 20 km radius of monitors. We assessed the relationship between prenatal exposure to PM _10-2.5 and term low birthweight (TLBW) using logistic and linear regression, adjusting for maternal and paternal demographic, environmental, temporal, and health-related covariates. We also conducted analyses stratified by socioeconomic characteristics and regions. We found a relationship between PM _10-2.5 exposure during pregnancy and TLBW after controlling for PM _2.5 exposure: odds ratio for second quartile of exposure: 1.00 (95% confidence interval: 0.98, 1.03), third quartile: 1.03 (1.00, 1.06), fourth quartile: 1.04 (1.01, 1.07), compared to the first quartile. Associations were strong among Non-Hispanic Black mothers, mothers living in the Central Valley, and fathers without a college degree. Exposure to and risk from PM _10-2.5 were heterogeneous across California indicating environmental justice implications. We also found that paternal characteristics were associated with the risk of TLBW even after controlling for maternal characteristics. In addition to PM _10-2.5 total mass, further research is needed on the components of PM _10-2.5 which may be driving these associations.
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