First two months of pregnancy—critical time for preterm delivery and low birthweight caused by adverse effects of coal combustion toxics

• Published in: Early human development Vol. 80; no. 2; pp. 115 - 123
• Main Author: Mohorovic, Lucijan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.11.2004; New York,NY Elsevier; Amsterdam
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Air; Air Pollutants - adverse effects; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Birth Weight - drug effects; Coal; Coal combustion products; Critical windows of exposure; Croatia - epidemiology; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Environmental toxics; Female; Gases - adverse effects; Gases - chemistry; Gestational Age; Humans; Incineration; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Inhalation Exposure; Low birthweight; Medical sciences; Methemoglobin; Mother hypoxemia–hypoxia; Nitrogen dioxide; Nitrogen Oxides - adverse effects; Nitrogen Oxides - analysis; Power Plants; Pregnancy - blood; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Premature Birth - chemically induced; Premature Birth - epidemiology; Preterm delivery; Retrospective Studies; Sulfur dioxide; Sulfur Dioxide - adverse effects; Sulfur Dioxide - analysis; Toxicology; Europe; Croatia; SW; Preterm delivery; Methemoglobin; Sulfur dioxide; TSP; Mother hypoxemia–hypoxia; RSS; Environmental toxics; Coal combustion products; RNS; ROS; NE; Low birthweight; Nitrogen dioxide; Critical windows of exposure; WHO; Toxicity; Combustion; Epidemiology; Gestational age; Coal; Secondary effect; Female; Developmental stage; Critical threshold; Exposure time; Human; Low birth weight; Premature delivery; Exposure; Mother hypoxemia-hypoxia; Environment; Air pollution; Poison
• ISSN: 0378-3782; 1872-6232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2004.06.001

The objective of this study was to define the most critical gestation period for adverse effects of environmental toxics in terms of preterm delivery (<37 weeks) and low birthweight (<2500 g) in humans. From January 1, 1987 to December 31, 1989, 704 women were included in a retrospective epidemiological study. All were from the district of Labin and lived in the vicinity of a coal power plant Plomin 1, Croatia. This plant is the single large source of air pollution in the area. The coal used for fuel is extremely rich with sulfur, 9–11%. Daily, weekly, and monthly consumption of coal and related SO 2 emissions were calculated for each pregnant woman from the beginning to the end of pregnancy. We found that a greater and longer exposure to SO 2 emissions during the initial two months of pregnancy resulted in a significantly shorter gestation (end of the first month: −0.0914, p=0.008, end of the second month: −0.0806, p=0.016) and in lower body mass of a newborn (end of the first month: −0.0807, p=0.016, end of the second month −0.0733, p=0.026). The results of this study confirm the role of inhaled environmental toxics in the early development of human embryo and in adverse pregnancy course caused by permanent oxidative stress, misbalanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), reactive sulfur species (RSS), and other unfavorable metabolic processes on early embryogenesis, resulting in growth-arrested cells.