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The associations of maternal exposure to black carbon and foetal growth risks in Southern Sweden.

Pira, Kajsa LU orcid ; Lawlor, Cale LU ; Andersson Nystedt, Tanya LU orcid ; Oudin, Anna LU orcid ; Rittner, Ralf LU orcid ; Zhang, Jiawei ; So, Rina ; Bergmann, Marie ; Lim, Youn Hee and Andersen, Zorana Jovanovic , et al. (2026) In Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health 19.
Abstract
Black carbon (BC) is an air pollutant of emerging concern, and further evidence is needed to understand its health effects. This study investigates the association between gestational BC exposure and birth outcomes, and whether these effects are independent of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure. We used data from the population-based birth cohort, Maternal Air Pollution in Southern Sweden (MAPSS) for the years 2000–2009, including 43,676 mother-child pairs. Maternal exposure to air pollution at residential address was estimated using a high-resolution dispersion model. We used logistic and linear regressions to examine association of air pollution with birth outcomes adjusting for maternal age,... (More)
Black carbon (BC) is an air pollutant of emerging concern, and further evidence is needed to understand its health effects. This study investigates the association between gestational BC exposure and birth outcomes, and whether these effects are independent of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure. We used data from the population-based birth cohort, Maternal Air Pollution in Southern Sweden (MAPSS) for the years 2000–2009, including 43,676 mother-child pairs. Maternal exposure to air pollution at residential address was estimated using a high-resolution dispersion model. We used logistic and linear regressions to examine association of air pollution with birth outcomes adjusting for maternal age, Body Mass Index, smoking, education, maternal country of birth, sex of the child, parity, household income, and birth year. We found that BC exposure during pregnancy was associated with birth weight (decrease of 69 g per 1 µg/m³ (95% Confidence Interval (CI): -96, -42) and small for gestational age (SGA) (odds ratio (OR) of 1.29 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.59; p = 0.015) per 1 µg/m³ increase in BC). BC exposure during the second trimester (OR of 1.79 (95% CI: 1.03, 3.09) and PM2.5 during pregnancy (OR of 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01,1.12) were associated with Low Birth Weight (LBW). Associations with BC remained after adjustment for PM2.5. Our study contributes to further evidence of birth weight impact from BC exposure to an emerging pollutant of concern, even in a low-exposure environment. Further, we demonstrate effects of PM2.5, but also differentiate independent effects of these two correlated pollutants.
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health
volume
19
publisher
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105028483052
ISSN
1873-9318
DOI
10.1007/s11869-026-01890-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c606062d-3afb-47da-bdec-ffe45e5c0625
date added to LUP
2026-02-18 14:57:45
date last changed
2026-02-19 04:03:25
@article{c606062d-3afb-47da-bdec-ffe45e5c0625,
  abstract     = {{Black carbon (BC) is an air pollutant of emerging concern, and further evidence is needed to understand its health effects. This study investigates the association between gestational BC exposure and birth outcomes, and whether these effects are independent of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure. We used data from the population-based birth cohort, Maternal Air Pollution in Southern Sweden (MAPSS) for the years 2000–2009, including 43,676 mother-child pairs. Maternal exposure to air pollution at residential address was estimated using a high-resolution dispersion model. We used logistic and linear regressions to examine association of air pollution with birth outcomes adjusting for maternal age, Body Mass Index, smoking, education, maternal country of birth, sex of the child, parity, household income, and birth year. We found that BC exposure during pregnancy was associated with birth weight (decrease of 69 g per 1 µg/m³ (95% Confidence Interval (CI): -96, -42) and small for gestational age (SGA) (odds ratio (OR) of 1.29 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.59; p = 0.015) per 1 µg/m³ increase in BC). BC exposure during the second trimester (OR of 1.79 (95% CI: 1.03, 3.09) and PM2.5 during pregnancy (OR of 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01,1.12) were associated with Low Birth Weight (LBW). Associations with BC remained after adjustment for PM2.5. Our study contributes to further evidence of birth weight impact from BC exposure to an emerging pollutant of concern, even in a low-exposure environment. Further, we demonstrate effects of PM2.5, but also differentiate independent effects of these two correlated pollutants.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Pira, Kajsa and Lawlor, Cale and Andersson Nystedt, Tanya and Oudin, Anna and Rittner, Ralf and Zhang, Jiawei and So, Rina and Bergmann, Marie and Lim, Youn Hee and Andersen, Zorana Jovanovic and Malmqvist, Ebba}},
  issn         = {{1873-9318}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}},
  series       = {{Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health}},
  title        = {{The associations of maternal exposure to black carbon and foetal growth risks in Southern Sweden.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11869-026-01890-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11869-026-01890-0}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}