Identifying critical windows of air pollution exposure during preconception and gestational period on birthweight: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Few studies have assessed air pollution exposure association with birthweight during both preconception and gestational periods. Methods Leveraging a preconception cohort consisting of 14220 pregnant women and newborn children in Shanghai, China during 2016–2018, we aim to assess associations of NO2 and PM2.5 exposure, derived from high-resolution spatial-temporal models, during preconception and gestational periods with outcomes including term birthweight, birthweight Z-score, small-for-gestational age (SGA) and large-for-gestational age (LGA). Linear and logistic regressions were used to estimate 3-month preconception and trimester-averaged air pollution exposure associations; and distributed lag models (DLM) were used to identify critical exposure windows at the weekly resolution from preconception to delivery. Two-pollutant models and children’s sex-specific associations were explored. Results After controlling for covariates, one standard deviation (SD) (11.5 μg/m3, equivalent to 6.1 ppb) increase in NO2 exposure during the second and the third trimester was associated with 13% (95% confidence interval: 2 – 26%) and 14% (95% CI: 1 – 29%) increase in SGA, respectively; and one SD (9.6 μg/m3) increase in PM2.5 exposure during the third trimester was associated with 15% (95% CI: 1 – 31%) increase in SGA. No association have been found for outcomes of birthweight, birthweight Z-score and LGA. DLM found that gestational weeks 22–32 were a critical window, when NO2 exposure had strongest associations with SGA. The associations of air pollution exposure tended to be stronger in female newborns than in male newborns. However, no significant associations of air pollution exposure during preconception period on birthweight outcomes were found. Conclusion Consistent with previous studies, we found that air pollution exposure during mid-to-late pregnancy was associated with adverse birthweight outcomes.