Air pollution is linked to adverse pregnancy and newborn outcomes
A systematic review describes associations involving fine particles and nitrogen dioxide, but provides no numerical estimates of risk or clear exposure thresholds.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The reviewed studies linked ambient air pollution with pregnancy complications and poorer newborn outcomes. Fine particles and nitrogen dioxide were associated with problems including hypertensive disorders, early delivery and low birth weight. The abstract supports concern about these associations, but does not establish that pollution caused a particular outcome or quantify an individual pregnancy’s risk.
Study designs, exposure assessment methods and regional pollution levels varied. The abstract supplies no effect sizes, confidence intervals or information on adjustment for other influences, limiting assessment of the strength and consistency of the associations.
What the review examined
The review covered several pollutants and a range of outcomes, from pregnancy loss and preeclampsia to newborn respiratory and neurological problems. Its reported associations particularly emphasized fine particles and nitrogen dioxide.
Proposed biological pathways
The paper discusses oxidative stress and epigenetic alterations as possible biological pathways. Their inclusion does not establish that those mechanisms explain the reported associations, and the abstract does not report an intervention that reduced exposure.
The original publication
Silent Harm: How Ambient Air Pollution Threatens Prenatal and Neonatal Health. A Systematic Review.
Chavan R, Kaur J
Invest Educ Enferm · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41289532
- Record checked
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