In April 2020 researchers from China published their review of the medical scientific literature to assess the association between trimester-specific maternal exposure to air pollutants and complications of pregnancy. A total of 33 studies, involving 22,253,277 pregnant women, met the search criteria and were included in the review. Results showed that exposure to air pollutants, especially during the first trimester, was associated with pregnancy complications. In particular, exposure to particular matter 10 was significantly associated with gestational hypertension, sulphur dioxide with gestational diabetes, and particulate matter 2.5 with pre-eclampsia. Throughout the entire pregnancy, particulate matter 2.5 appeared to significantly increase the risk of gestational hypertension.
Bai W et al. Association between ambient air pollution and pregnancy complications: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Environ Res. 2020 Apr 3;185. . [Epub ahead of print]
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