"Association of prenatal exposure to air pollutants with select birth d" by Abigail Jeanne Stamm

Date of Award

1-1-2023

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Content Description

1 online resource (viii, 179 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Erin Bell

Committee Members

Tabassum Insaf, Kai Zheng

Keywords

air pollution, birth defects, green space, multipollutant, ozone, particulate matter (PM2.5), Air, Abnormalities, Human, Cleft lip, Cleft palate, Clubfoot, Craniosynostoses

Subject Categories

Epidemiology

Abstract

Background: Annually, 3-5% of infants are born with birth defects in the United States. In New York State (NYS), air pollution, specifically ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is detectable at levels that affect human health. Air pollution is associated with poor birth outcomes and contains components that are suspected to cause oxidative stress, which is one mechanism by which birth defects are formed.Methods: This study investigated the relationship between the development of select birth defects (oral clefts, craniosynostosis, and clubfoot) in singleton live births in NYS between 2002 and 2015 and weekly peak and average concentrations of O3 and PM2.5 at the mother’s residence using modeled air pollution data and single-pollutant distributed lag logistic models. The second analysis incorporated green space at various buffers using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The third analysis explored multi-pollutant models. Results: O3 most greatly affected risk of clubfoot around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of clubfoot around weeks 3, 8, and 12 of pregnancy in the single- and multi-pollutant models. O3 most greatly affected risk of cleft lip with or without cleft palate around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of cleft lip with or without cleft palate just after conception in the single-pollutant model and week 12 of pregnancy in the multi-pollutant model. O3 most greatly affected risk of cleft palate around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of cleft palate in month 2 of pregnancy in the single- and multi-pollutant models. Including green space slightly altered the effect of O3. O3 most greatly affected risk of craniosynostosis around weeks 7-8 of pregnancy in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of cleft palate around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. Green space slightly altered the effect of PM2.5. Conclusion: O3 and PM2.5 affected the risk of all birth defects evaluated. In multi-pollutant models, these effects were altered for clubfoot, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and craniosynostosis. Including green space altered these effects for cleft palate.

Included in

Epidemiology Commons

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