Composition of fine particulate matter and risk of preterm birth: A nationwide birth cohort study in 336 Chinese cities

Yuan He; Yixuan Jiang; Ying Yang; Jihong Xu; Ya Zhang; Qiaomei Wang; Haiping Shen; Yiping Zhang; Donghai Yan; Zuoqi Peng; Cong Liu; Weidong Wang; Tamara Schikowski; Huichu Li; Beizhan Yan; John S Ji; Aimin Chen; Aaron van Donkelaar; Randall Martin; Renjie Chen; Haidong Kan; Jing Cai; Xu Ma

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127645

Composition of fine particulate matter and risk of preterm birth: A nationwide birth cohort study in 336 Chinese cities

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Mar 5:425:127645. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127645. Epub 2021 Nov 1.

Authors

Yuan He¹, Yixuan Jiang², Ying Yang³, Jihong Xu³, Ya Zhang³, Qiaomei Wang⁴, Haiping Shen³, Yiping Zhang⁴, Donghai Yan⁴, Zuoqi Peng³, Cong Liu², Weidong Wang², Tamara Schikowski⁵, Huichu Li⁶, Beizhan Yan⁷, John S Ji⁸, Aimin Chen⁹, Aaron van Donkelaar¹⁰, Randall Martin¹⁰, Renjie Chen², Haidong Kan¹¹, Jing Cai¹², Xu Ma¹³

Affiliations

¹ National Research Institute for Health and Family Planning, Beijing, China; National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China.
² School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
³ National Research Institute for Health and Family Planning, Beijing, China.
⁴ Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China.
⁵ Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany.
⁶ Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
⁷ Division of Geochemistry, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USA.
⁸ Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
⁹ Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
¹¹ School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Center for Children's Health, Shanghai 201102, China.
¹² School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China. Electronic address: jingcai@fudan.edu.cn.
¹³ National Research Institute for Health and Family Planning, Beijing, China; National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China. Electronic address: xmgenetic@126.com.

PMID: 34920912
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127645

Abstract

Background: Potential hazards of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) constituents on preterm birth (PTB) have rarely been explored in China.

Objective: To quantify the associations of PM_2.5 constituents with PTB.

Methods: This study was based on a nationwide cohort of 3,723,169 live singleton births delivered between January 2010 and December 2015 in China. We applied satellite-based estimates of 5 PM_2.5 constituents (organic carbon; black carbon; sulfate; ammonium; and nitrate). We used Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for individual covariates, temperature, humidity, and seasonality to evaluate the associations.

Results: During the entire pregnancy, each interquartile range (29 μg/m³) increase in PM_2.5 concentrations was associated with a 7% increase in PTB risk [hazard ratio (HR): 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-1.08). We observed the largest effect estimates on carbonaceous components (HR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.08-1.10 for organic carbon and black carbon). Early pregnancy appeared to be the critical exposure window for most constituents. Women who were older, exposed to second-hand smoke, overweight or obese before pregnancy, conceived during winter, and living in northern China or rural areas were more susceptible.

Conclusions: Carbonaceous components of PM_2.5 were associated with higher PTB risk. Findings on characteristics of vulnerability underlined targeted protections on susceptible subgroups.

Keywords: Air pollution; Chemical constituents; Cohort study; PM(2.5); Preterm birth.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollutants* / toxicity
Air Pollution* / analysis
Birth Cohort
China / epidemiology
Cities
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Maternal Exposure
Particulate Matter / analysis
Particulate Matter / toxicity
Pregnancy
Premature Birth* / chemically induced
Premature Birth* / epidemiology

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter