Ambient Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Malformations in Atlanta, Georgia, 1986-2003

Associations between ambient air pollution levels during weeks 3-7 of pregnancy and risks of cardiovascular malformations were investigated among the cohort of pregnancies reaching at least 20 weeks' gestation that were conceived during January 1, 1986-March 12, 2003, in Atlanta, Georgia. Surveillance records obtained from the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program, which conducts active, population-based surveillance on this cohort, were reviewed to classify cardiovascular malformations. Ambient 8-hour maximum ozone and 24-hour average carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter with an average aerodynamic diameter of