Effects of Prenatal PM10 Exposure on Fetal Cardiovascular Malformations in Fuzhou, China: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Background: Maternal exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with an increased risk of congenital heart defects in offspring; however, the results are inconsistent. Objectives: We investigated whether there is an association between prenatal exposure to particulate matter with diameter ≤10μm (PM10) during early pregnancy and fetal cardiovascular malformations. Methods: The gravidae from a hospital-based case–control study in Fuzhou, China, during 2007–2013 were assigned 10-d or 1-mo averages of daily PM10 using an air monitor–based inverse distance weighting method during early pregnancy. A total of 662 live-birth or selectively terminated cases and 3,972 live-birth controls were enrolled. The exposure was considered as a categorical variable. A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to quantify the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of the exposure to PM10 and the risks of fetal cardiovascular malformations. Results: PM10 levels were positively associated with the risks of atrial ...