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Title: Prenatal nitrate air pollution exposure and reduced child lung function: Timing and fetal sex effects.

Authors: Bose, Sonali; Rosa, Maria José; Mathilda Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu; Leon Hsu, Hsiao-Hsien; Di, Qian; Lee, Alison; Kloog, Itai; Wilson, Ander; Schwartz, Joel; Wright, Robert O; Morgan, Wayne J; Coull, Brent A; Wright, Rosalind J

Published In Environ Res, (2018 Nov)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Prenatal particulate air pollution exposure may alter lung growth and development in utero in a time-sensitive and sex-specific manner, resulting in reduced lung function in childhood. Such relationships have not been examined for nitrate (NO3-). METHODS: We implemented Bayesian distributed lag interaction models (BDLIMs) to identify sensitive prenatal windows for the influence of NO3- on lung function at age 7 years, assessing effect modification by fetal sex. Analyses included 191 mother-child dyads. Daily ambient NO3- exposure over pregnancy was estimated using a hybrid chemical transport (Geos-Chem)/land-use regression model. Spirometry was performed at mean (SD) age of 6.99 (0.89) years, with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) z-scores accounting for child age, sex, height and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Most mothers were Hispanic (65%) or Black (22%), had ≤ high school education (67%), and never smoked (71%); 17% children had asthma. BDILMs adjusted for maternal age and education and child's asthma identified an early sensitive window of 6-12 weeks gestation, during which increased NO3- was significantly associated with reduced FEV1 z-scores specifically among boys. BDLIM analyses demonstrated similar sex-specific patterns for FVC. CONCLUSION: Early gestational NO3- exposure is associated with reduced child lung function, especially in boys.

PubMed ID: 30172192 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Air Pollution*/adverse effects; Bayes Theorem; Child; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Humans; Lung; Male; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*/epidemiology; Vital Capacity

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