Birth defects and prenatal exposure to particulate matter in a Colombian population

Introduction: Air pollution is associated with adverse obstetric events. There is evidence of an association between exposure to high levels of particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) and birth defects. Objective: To determine the existence of an association between birth defects and prenatal exposure of pregnant women to PM10 in a Colombian population. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Cases of mothers of newborns with postnatally confirmed congenital defects and controls without congenital defects were included. Emission exposure was determined by temporo-spatial disaggregation using ArcGIS (R) and georeferencing using gvSIG (R), Google Earth (R) and Google Street View (R), using previously published and validated estimates for the city. Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi-Stats Open now (R). Results: A total of 101 patients were included, corresponding to 31 cases and 70 controls. There was an increased risk of developing birth defects after exposure to PM10 emissions above 2.23 Ton/year/250m2 (OR: 8.17; 95% CI: 1.61 - 41.46; p = 0.011). Conclusions: There was a relationship between exposure to high levels of PM10 and increased risk of birth defects in the population studied. Future research on the relationship between environmental contamination and adverse obstetric events is suggested.