Prenatal exposure to particulate matter and infant birth outcomes: Evidence from a population‐wide database
利用北爱尔兰全人口出生数据与母亲居住地污染信息，采用母亲固定效应模型，发现低污染高收入国家中产前PM2.5暴露与婴儿出生结局关联微弱，与未控制固定效应的模型结果形成对比。
Abstract There are growing concerns about the impact of pollution on maternal and infant health. Despite an extensive correlational literature, observational studies which adopt methods that seek to address potential biases due to unmeasured confounders draw mixed conclusions. Using a population database of births in Northern Ireland (NI) linked to localized geographic information on pollution in mothers' postcodes (zipcodes) of residence during pregnancy, we examine whether prenatal exposure to PM 2.5 is associated with a comprehensive range of birth outcomes, including placental health. Overall, we find little evidence that particulate matter is related to infant outcomes at the pollution levels experienced in NI, once we implement a mother fixed effects approach that accounts for time‐invariant factors. This contrasts with strong associations in models that adjust for observed confounders but without fixed effects. While reducing ambient air pollution remains an urgent public health priority globally, our results imply that further improvements in short‐run levels of prenatal PM 2.5 exposure in a relatively low‐pollution, higher‐income country context, are unlikely to impact on birth outcomes at the population level.