The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway
Abstract Background Ambient air pollution can be harmful to the fetus even in countries with relatively low levels of pollution. Most of the established literature estimates the association between air pollution and health rather than causality. In this paper, I examine the causal effects of ambient...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16957-1 |
| _version_ | 1797555969787428864 |
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| author | Xiaoguang Ling |
| author_facet | Xiaoguang Ling |
| author_sort | Xiaoguang Ling |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Ambient air pollution can be harmful to the fetus even in countries with relatively low levels of pollution. Most of the established literature estimates the association between air pollution and health rather than causality. In this paper, I examine the causal effects of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway. Methods With the large sample size and geographic division of sub-postal codes in Norway, I can control for a rich set of spatio-temporal fixed effects to overcome most of the endogeneity problems caused by the choice of residential area and date of delivery. After controlling for a rich set of spatio-temporal fixed effects, my paper uses the variance in ambient air pollutant concentrations over narrow time intervals and in a small geographic area of Norway to determine how prenatal air pollution exposure affects birth outcomes. My data contain extensive information about parents as well as meteorological conditions that can be used to control for potential confounding factors. Results I find that prenatal exposure to ambient nitric oxide in the last trimester causes significant birth weight and birth length loss under the same sub-postcode fixed effects and calendar month fixed effects, whereas other ambient air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide appear to be at safe levels for the fetus in Norway. In addition, the marginal adverse effect of ambient nitric oxide is larger for newborns with disadvantaged parents. Both average concentrations of nitric oxide and occasional high concentration events can adversely affect birth outcomes. Conclusions Prenatal exposure to NO pollution has an adverse effect on birth outcomes. This suggests that government and researchers should pay more attention to examining NO pollution and that health care providers need to advise pregnant women about the risks of air pollution during pregnancy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:55:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a49f203263604e3c81dd83b78e36da6f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:55:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-a49f203263604e3c81dd83b78e36da6f2023-11-20T11:09:48ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582023-11-0123111910.1186/s12889-023-16957-1The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in NorwayXiaoguang Ling0Department of Economics, University of OsloAbstract Background Ambient air pollution can be harmful to the fetus even in countries with relatively low levels of pollution. Most of the established literature estimates the association between air pollution and health rather than causality. In this paper, I examine the causal effects of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway. Methods With the large sample size and geographic division of sub-postal codes in Norway, I can control for a rich set of spatio-temporal fixed effects to overcome most of the endogeneity problems caused by the choice of residential area and date of delivery. After controlling for a rich set of spatio-temporal fixed effects, my paper uses the variance in ambient air pollutant concentrations over narrow time intervals and in a small geographic area of Norway to determine how prenatal air pollution exposure affects birth outcomes. My data contain extensive information about parents as well as meteorological conditions that can be used to control for potential confounding factors. Results I find that prenatal exposure to ambient nitric oxide in the last trimester causes significant birth weight and birth length loss under the same sub-postcode fixed effects and calendar month fixed effects, whereas other ambient air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide appear to be at safe levels for the fetus in Norway. In addition, the marginal adverse effect of ambient nitric oxide is larger for newborns with disadvantaged parents. Both average concentrations of nitric oxide and occasional high concentration events can adversely affect birth outcomes. Conclusions Prenatal exposure to NO pollution has an adverse effect on birth outcomes. This suggests that government and researchers should pay more attention to examining NO pollution and that health care providers need to advise pregnant women about the risks of air pollution during pregnancy.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16957-1NOAmbient air pollutionPrenatal exposureBirth outcomes |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoguang Ling The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway BMC Public Health NO Ambient air pollution Prenatal exposure Birth outcomes |
| title | The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway |
| title_full | The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway |
| title_fullStr | The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway |
| title_short | The effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in Norway |
| title_sort | effect of ambient air pollution on birth outcomes in norway |
| topic | NO Ambient air pollution Prenatal exposure Birth outcomes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16957-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiaoguangling theeffectofambientairpollutiononbirthoutcomesinnorway AT xiaoguangling effectofambientairpollutiononbirthoutcomesinnorway |