Associations between childhood and adolescence exposure to air pollution and adult height in Polish women

Abstract Exposure to airborne substances harmful to health during pre- and postnatal stage may significantly affect the correct development of organs and systems. Many studies analyze the relationship between air quality and health, but data on the impact of air pollution on human biological development are scanty.The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between adult body height and air quality in the place of residence during childhood and adolescence. The parameters measured included absolute stature (cm) and relative stature defined as a percentage of mean stature of both parents.The analysis covered data collected from 1257 women. Subject’s height was measured. Data on parental height were obtained using a questionnaire. The level of each analyzed environmental pollution in the place of residence during childhood and adolescence: particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitric dioxide (NO2) and benzene (C6H6) in the place of residence during childhood and adolescence was determined on the basis of the data made available by the Polish Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection.Results of our study show that mean stature decreases with growing air pollution level. Significant differences were observed both in absolute stature and relative stature (expressed as percentage of mean stature of both parents) depending on PM10 and PM2.5 levels in place of residence during childhood and adolescence as well as on the total index of air quality. The differences remain statistically significant also after adjustment for the degree of urbanisation of the place of residence and factors related to socio-economic status.Our findings suggest that air pollution level in the place of residence during childhood and adolescence has significant impact on the children growth, potentially leading to worse health status later in life.