Air Pollution and Infant Mortality in Seoul, Korea
Author Information
Author(s): Son Ji-Young, Bell Michelle L., Lee Jong-Tae
Primary Institution: Yale University
Hypothesis
Is long-term exposure to different sizes of airborne particulate matter associated with infant mortality?
Conclusion
Long-term exposure to particulate matter air pollution is associated with increased risk of infant mortality.
Supporting Evidence
- Gestational exposure to PM was linked to increased infant mortality from all causes.
- Risks for respiratory mortality were significantly higher for normal-birth-weight infants.
- Statistically significant associations were found for TSP, PM10, and PM2.5.
Takeaway
Breathing dirty air for a long time can make babies more likely to die, especially if they are born with a normal weight.
Methodology
The study used extended Cox proportional hazards modeling to analyze mortality data from a birth cohort.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from unmeasured confounding factors related to socioeconomic status.
Limitations
The study may not fully account for all potential confounders, such as maternal smoking, and the small number of deaths limited the analysis.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included 359,459 births, with 2.0% low birth weight infants.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
1.06–1.97 for all causes, 1.18–12.13 for respiratory causes
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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