Air pollution during pregnancy and lung function in newborns: a birth cohort study

¹ Division of Respiratory Medicine, Dept of Paediatrics, Inselspital and University of Bern, Switzerland; and Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Switzerland
² Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Switzerland
³ Division of Respiratory Medicine, Dept of Paediatrics, Inselspital and University of Bern, Switzerland

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: philipp.latzin{at}insel.ch.

	Abstract

Postnatal exposure to air pollution is associated with diminished lung growth during school age. We aimed to determine whether prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with lung function changes in the newborn.

In a prospective birth cohort of 241 healthy term-born neonates we measured tidal breathing, lung volume, ventilation inhomogeneity and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) during unsedated sleep at age 5 weeks. We estimated maternal exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 µm (PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), and distance to major roads during pregnancy. The association between these exposures and lung function was assessed using linear regression.

Minute ventilation was higher in infants with higher prenatal PM₁₀ exposure (24.9 mL·min^-1 per µg·m^-3 PM₁₀; p=0.002). Exhaled NO was increased in infants with higher prenatal NO₂ exposure (0.98 ppb per µg·m^-3 NO₂; p<0.001). Postnatal exposure to air pollution did not modify these findings. No association was found for prenatal exposure to ozone and lung function parameters.

Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to air pollution might be associated with higher respiratory need and airway inflammation in newborns. Such alterations during early lung development may be important regarding long-term respiratory morbidity.

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