You are here
HEI publishes 3 new research reports
New Report on Air Pollution and Birth Weight
HEI has published a new report Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Birth Weight: The Roles of Noise, Placental Function, Green Space, Physical Activity, and Socioeconomic Status (FRONTIER). This study, led by Payam Dadvand and Jordi Sunyer at Barcelona Institute for Global Health, recruited pregnant women in Barcelona to examine how in-utero exposure to traffic-related air pollution might affect birthweight, fetal growth patterns, and placental function. The study also considers exposure to multiple pollutants and transportation noise, along with the potential influence of socioeconomic factors, green space, physical activity, diet, and stress.
Key takeaways from the report:
- The study found that increased exposure to all pollutants, except zinc, was associated with lower birth weight and increased odds of the infant being considered small for its gestation age. Changes in placental function suggest that fine particle exposure might affect fetal growth by increasing resistance to blood flow between the fetus and placenta.
- The most vulnerable periods of exposure were during the late first to early second trimesters and the late third trimester of pregnancy. The results confirm other research on birth outcomes and stress the importance of reducing air pollution exposures of pregnant women.
New Report on Prenatal and Early Life Air Pollution Exposure
HEI has published a new report Early Life Air Pollution Exposure Iss Associated with the Infant Gut Microbiome and Fecal Metabolome in the First Two Years of Life. This study, led by Tanya L. Alderete, University of Colorado, Boulder, evaluated whether exposures to common air pollutants before and after birth were associated with changes in the gut microbiome and fecal metabolome during the first two years of life.
Key takeaways from the report:
- Prenatal and postnatal air pollution exposures were associated with changes in the abundances of gut bacteria and levels of several fecal metabolites in infants during the first 2 years of life.
- Among participants with higher air pollution exposures, the team found some evidence of fewer beneficial gut bacteria, more potentially detrimental gut bacteria, and higher levels of metabolites indicative of oxidative stress and inflammation.
New Report on Air Pollution and COVID-19 in California
HEI has published a new report Ambient Air Pollution and COVID-19 in California. This study, led by Michael Kleeman, University of California, Davis, investigated chronic and acute effects of air pollution exposure on COVID-19 incidence, mortality, and long-term complications, including onset of disease formation in Southern California.
Key takeaways from the report:
- Increased risk of COVID-19 death was associated with estimated annual average exposures to ultrafine particulate matter, fine particulate matter, and several specific components of fine particulate matter; however, findings on associations between ozone exposure and COVID-19 death in the administrative and healthcare system datasets were inconsistent.
- Exposures to several pollutants were also associated with progression from hospitalization to more severe COVID-19 illness and with several long COVID-19 outcomes.
