Published online August 1, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 118 No. 2 August 2006, pp. 493-502 (doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0027)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (11)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ritz, B.
Right arrow Articles by Zhao, Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ritz, B.
Right arrow Articles by Zhao, Y.
Related Collections
Right arrow Therapeutics & Toxicology
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

ARTICLE

Air Pollution and Infant Death in Southern California, 1989–2000

Beate Ritz, MD, PhDa,b, Michelle Wilhelm, PhDa,b and Yingxu Zhao, PhDa

a Department of Epidemiology
b Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California

OBJECTIVE. We evaluated the influence of outdoor air pollution on infant death in the South Coast Air Basin of California, an area characterized by some of the worst air quality in the United States.

METHODS. Linking birth and death certificates for infants who died between 1989 and 2000, we identified all infant deaths, matched 10 living control subjects to each case subject, and assigned the nearest air monitoring station to each birth address. For all subjects, we calculated average carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter <10 µm in aerodynamic diameter exposures experienced during the 2-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 6-month periods before a case subject's death.

RESULTS. The risk of respiratory death increased from 20% to 36% per 1-ppm increase in average carbon monoxide levels 2 weeks before death in early infancy (age: 28 days to 3 months). We also estimated 7% to 12% risk increases for respiratory deaths per 10-µg/m3 increase in particulate matter <10 µm in aerodynamic diameter exposure experienced 2 weeks before death for infants 4 to 12 months of age. Risk of respiratory death more than doubled for infants 7 to 12 months of age who were exposed to high average levels of particulates in the previous 6 months. Furthermore, the risk of dying as a result of sudden infant death syndrome increased 15% to 19% per 1-part per hundred million increase in average nitrogen dioxide levels 2 months before death. Low birth weight and preterm infants seemed to be more susceptible to air pollution-related death resulting from these causes; however, we lacked statistical power to confirm this heterogeneity with formal testing.

CONCLUSIONS. Our results add to the growing body of literature implicating air pollution in infant death from respiratory causes and sudden infant death syndrome and provide additional information for future risk assessment.

Key Words: air pollution • infant death • postneonatal death • epidemiology • respiratory death • sudden infant death syndrome • mortality

Abbreviations: PM10—particulate matter <10 µm in aerodynamic diameter • SoCAB—South Coast Air Basin • CI—confidence interval • OR—odds ratio • SIDS—sudden infant death syndrome • ICD-9—International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision • ICD-10—International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision • pphm—parts per hundred million • O3—ozone • NO2—nitrogen dioxide • CO—carbon monoxide • LBW—low birth weight • SO2—sulfur dioxide • PM2.5—particulate matter <2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter

Accepted Feb 21, 2006.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Economic Development QuarterlyHome page
W. Thomas
Do Environmental Regulations Impede Economic Growth? A Case Study of the Metal Finishing Industry in the South Coast Basin of Southern California
Economic Development Quarterly, November 1, 2009; 23(4): 329 - 341.
[Abstract] [PDF]