BACKGROUND

Few studies have used longitudinal ultrasound measurements to assess the effect of traffic-related air pollution on fetal growth.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the relationship between exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and aromatic hydrocarbons [benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene (BTEX)] on fetal growth assessed by 1,692 ultrasound measurements among 562 pregnant women from the Sabadell cohort of the Spanish INMA (Environment and Childhood) study.

METHODS

We used temporally adjusted land-use regression models to estimate exposures to NO2 and BTEX. We fitted mixed-effects models to estimate longitudinal growth curves for femur length (FL), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), biparietal diameter (BPD), and estimated fetal weight (EFW). Unconditional and conditional SD scores were calculated at 12, 20, and 32 weeks of gestation. Sensitivity analyses were performed considering time-activity patterns during pregnancy.

RESULTS

Exposure to BTEX from early pregnancy was negatively associated with growth in BPD during weeks 20-32. None of the other fetal growth parameters were associated with exposure to air pollution during pregnancy. When considering only women who spent < 2 hr/day in nonresidential outdoor locations, effect estimates were stronger and statistically significant for the association between NO2 and growth in HC during weeks 12-20 and growth in AC, BPD, and EFW during weeks 20-32.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results lend some support to an effect of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants from early pregnancy on fetal growth during mid-pregnancy..