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Evaluating narrow windows of maternal exposure to ozone and preterm birth in a large urban area in Southeast Texas

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 26, pages 167–172 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

The association between O3 exposure and preterm birth (PTB) remains unclear. We evaluated associations for three categories of PTB and O3 in Harris County, Texas, during narrow periods of gestation. We computed two sets of exposure metrics during every 4 weeks of pregnancy for 152,214 mothers who delivered singleton, live-born infants in 2005–2007, accounting first for temporal variability and then for temporal and spatial sources of variability in ambient O3 levels. Associations were assessed using multiple logistic regression. We also examined the potential for a fixed cohort bias. In the bias-corrected cohort where associations were somewhat stronger, elevated odds ratios (ORs) per 10 parts per billion increase in O3 exposure (county-level metric) were detected for the fifth (OR=1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04–1.12), sixth (OR=1.05, 95% CI=1.01–1.09), and seventh (OR=1.07, 95% CI=1.03–1.10) 4-week periods of pregnancy for late PTB (33–36 completed weeks gestation), the fifth (OR=1.13, 95% CI=1.02–1.25) and seventh (OR=1.15, 95% CI=1.04–1.27) 4-week periods of pregnancy for moderate PTB (29–32 completed weeks gestation), and the fifth (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.08–1.36) 4-week period of pregnancy for severe PTB (20–28 completed weeks gestation). Conversely, decreased odds were found in the first 4-week period of pregnancy for severe PTB (OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.74–0.94). Associations were slightly attenuated using the spatially interpolated (kriged) metrics, and for women who did not work outside of the home. Our analyses confirm reports in other parts of the United States and elsewhere with findings that suggest that maternal exposure to ambient levels of O3 is associated with PTB.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grant number 5R21ES017347 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA,

    Elaine Symanski, Michelle K McHugh & Elena S Craft

  2. Department of Biostatistics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA

    Xuan Zhang & Dejian Lai

  3. Environmental Defense Fund, Austin, TX, USA

    Elena S Craft

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  1. Elaine Symanski
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Correspondence to Elaine Symanski.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology website

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Symanski, E., McHugh, M., Zhang, X. et al. Evaluating narrow windows of maternal exposure to ozone and preterm birth in a large urban area in Southeast Texas. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 26, 167–172 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.32

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