Study Says Air Pollution From Traffic & Factories Lead To Premature Births & Economic Costs

Air pollution from particulate matter released from traffic, factories and other industrial activities are causing thousands of premature births in the United States, a new study says. Air pollution is also costing the US over $4 billion dollars.

This study on the effects of air pollution was conducted Leonardo Trasande, Patrick Malecha and Teresa M. Attina, fellows of the New York University's School of Medicine. Published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the study provides concrete data on the ills of air pollution days before Earth Day.

Preterm Births

The results of the air pollution study showed that there are approximately 3.32% or 15,808 preterm births (PTBs) across America in 2010 that could have possibly been caused by particulate matter. This corresponds to a cost of around $4.33 billion. From this $4.33 billion, $760 million were spent for medical care.

Researchers found that urban counties have the highest particulate matter attributable fraction (AF) of PTBs. Counties in the Ohio Valley and the Southern part of the country accounted for high levels of air pollution, as they had the highest AFs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines preterm as "babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed." As of November 2015, the WHO reported that there are 15 million babies born preterm annually.

Complications from preterm births are the leading cause of death among children under 5. These complications caused nearly 1 million deaths in 2013.

Particulate Matter

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), particulate matter refers to "a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air." Some, like dust, dirt, soot or smoke are large or dark enough to be seen without the help of a special device such as a microscope.

There are two kinds of particles in air pollution. One is called "inhalable coarse particles" with diameters larger than 2.5 micrometers but smaller than 10 micrometers and the other is "fine particles" that are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller can be found in dirty air.

The EPA noted how small 2.5 micrometers is, as the average hair strand is around 70 micrometers in diameter. The New York University School of Medicine researchers considered fine particles in this particular study of air pollution.

Effects Of Air Pollution

Transande said in an interview with the Washington Post that there is growing evidence connecting exposure to particulate matter to pregnancy and birth-related problems, which includes preterm births. Trasande is an associate professor of pediatrics at the New York University's School of Medicine.

While air pollution has been commonly regarded as a harbinger of health hazards, this study presented that air pollution can cost lives of infants and large amounts of money. This is a timely warning in light of the upcoming Earth Day.