Adverse birth outcomes are a leading cause of mortality in children in China, but the environmental influences of these conditions remain largely unexplained in this population. We aimed to evaluate the levels of poly...Adverse birth outcomes are a leading cause of mortality in children in China, but the environmental influences of these conditions remain largely unexplained in this population. We aimed to evaluate the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Chinese pregnant women and their newborns, and to examine the association between levels of PAHs and infant birth weight. We conducted a cross-sectional study including 81 pairs of mothers and newborns from four hospitals in four different cities in China. High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to measure the concentration of nine PAHs in maternal and cord blood and multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations of these PAHs with infant birth weight. Anthracene (ANT) had the highest average concentration and detection rate (geometric mean = 69.54 ng/g and 76.5%, respectively) in maternal serum samples, while fluoranthene (FLT) had the highest concentration and detection rate (geometric mean = 68.4 ng/g and 50.6%, respectively) in the cord blood. Most of the measured PAHs in maternal serum and three PAHs in cord blood were inversely but non-significantly associated with birth weight. The strongest associations were observed for higher concentrations of benzo (a) pyrene (BaP) in maternal serum (230.7 g decrease for levels > median vs. < LOD;p = 0.151) and for ANT in cord blood (153.1 g decrease for levels < median vs. < LOD;p = 0.208). Ant and FLT were the predominant PAHs in the maternal and cord blood serum. Serum concentrations of several measured PAHs were associated with a decreased birth weight, although not significantly, suggesting that further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate our findings.展开更多
Given the deleterious health effects associated with indoor air pollution (IAP), this study was conducted to evaluate an IAP intervention in rural areas in Gansu, one of the poorest provinces of China. We selected 371...Given the deleterious health effects associated with indoor air pollution (IAP), this study was conducted to evaluate an IAP intervention in rural areas in Gansu, one of the poorest provinces of China. We selected 371 rural households to take part in intervention measures including stove improvement and health education. Eight of 371 households were selected to conduct IAP sampling. Four hundred and thirteen women in these households completed a questionnaire and 49 women took part in lung function tests. After the intervention, PM4 levels reduced from 455 μg/m3 to 200 μg/m3 and CO reduced from 3.40 ppm to 2.90 ppm in indoor air. The percentage of predicted value of FEV1 and FVC improved to some degree after the intervention, but all the parameters of lung function assessment did not show a significant change. Prevalence rates of several symptoms associated with IAP significantly declined in the study population, compared with baseline levels. Intervention measures combining stove improvement with health education were effective in reducing IAP levels. Women’s health status, including eye and respiratory symptoms, also showed improvement. However, the effect on lung function was not apparent and warranted additional follow-up. Similarly, evaluation of the long term effects of the IAP intervention will require future studies.展开更多
文摘Adverse birth outcomes are a leading cause of mortality in children in China, but the environmental influences of these conditions remain largely unexplained in this population. We aimed to evaluate the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Chinese pregnant women and their newborns, and to examine the association between levels of PAHs and infant birth weight. We conducted a cross-sectional study including 81 pairs of mothers and newborns from four hospitals in four different cities in China. High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to measure the concentration of nine PAHs in maternal and cord blood and multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations of these PAHs with infant birth weight. Anthracene (ANT) had the highest average concentration and detection rate (geometric mean = 69.54 ng/g and 76.5%, respectively) in maternal serum samples, while fluoranthene (FLT) had the highest concentration and detection rate (geometric mean = 68.4 ng/g and 50.6%, respectively) in the cord blood. Most of the measured PAHs in maternal serum and three PAHs in cord blood were inversely but non-significantly associated with birth weight. The strongest associations were observed for higher concentrations of benzo (a) pyrene (BaP) in maternal serum (230.7 g decrease for levels > median vs. < LOD;p = 0.151) and for ANT in cord blood (153.1 g decrease for levels < median vs. < LOD;p = 0.208). Ant and FLT were the predominant PAHs in the maternal and cord blood serum. Serum concentrations of several measured PAHs were associated with a decreased birth weight, although not significantly, suggesting that further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate our findings.
文摘Given the deleterious health effects associated with indoor air pollution (IAP), this study was conducted to evaluate an IAP intervention in rural areas in Gansu, one of the poorest provinces of China. We selected 371 rural households to take part in intervention measures including stove improvement and health education. Eight of 371 households were selected to conduct IAP sampling. Four hundred and thirteen women in these households completed a questionnaire and 49 women took part in lung function tests. After the intervention, PM4 levels reduced from 455 μg/m3 to 200 μg/m3 and CO reduced from 3.40 ppm to 2.90 ppm in indoor air. The percentage of predicted value of FEV1 and FVC improved to some degree after the intervention, but all the parameters of lung function assessment did not show a significant change. Prevalence rates of several symptoms associated with IAP significantly declined in the study population, compared with baseline levels. Intervention measures combining stove improvement with health education were effective in reducing IAP levels. Women’s health status, including eye and respiratory symptoms, also showed improvement. However, the effect on lung function was not apparent and warranted additional follow-up. Similarly, evaluation of the long term effects of the IAP intervention will require future studies.
