Ambient Air Pollution and Congenital Anomalies in Brisbane, Australia: Should we be Concerned?.

There is a growing body of literature suggesting that maternal exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes. The aim of the research was to assess the relationship between ambient air pollution during the first three months of pregnancy and the risk of a congenital anomaly among children born in Brisbane. A retrospective cohort design was employed where a citywide average of daily PM10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 m), bsp (light scattering particles), ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations were linked to the days of gestation for term singleton live births in the Brisbane local government area for the period of 1st July 2000 to 30th June 2003. Maternal exposure estimates for each pollutant were calculated as the average of the daily concentrations within each of the first three months of pregnancy. An inter-quartile range increase in PM10 during the second month of pregnancy was associated with an 8% (OR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.15) increased risk of delivering a neonate with a reported congenital anomaly. Further research is warranted where specific congenital anomalies are examined.