Environmental epidemiologists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Oregon State University, Pacific Northwest National Labs, and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, report on the findings of a new study of air pollution exposures collected using personal wristband monitors worn by pregnant individuals in New York City matched with data from a questionnaire. Factors predictive of exposures to air pollution include income, time spent outdoors, maternal age, country of birth, transportation type, and season.
The researchers examined an unprecedented number of 61 air pollution compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and compared them to 75 questionnaire variables, making the study the most comprehensive analysis of its kind. PAHs are created by combustion and can be found in sources like automotive exhaust and tobacco smoke; exposure to these compounds has been linked to various adverse health effects, including those related to fetal growth and neurodevelopment. The study’s findings appear online in the Journal of Exposure Science And Environmental Epidemiology(link is external and opens in a new window).
Participants, 177 of whom were included in the final analysis, wore silicone wristbands for 48 hours during the third trimester of pregnancy to measure exposure to PAHs. They completed a questionnaire during the third trimester of their pregnancy, answering questions related to demographic and employment information, as well as their potential exposure sources, such as cooking, smoking, and transportation.
Read more at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
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