Background: Spatially resolved exposure models are increasingly used in epidemiology. We previously reported that, although exhibiting a moderate correlation, pregnancy nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels estimated by the nearest air quality monitoring station (AQMS) model and a geostatistical model, showed similar associations with infant birth weight.
Objectives: We extended this study by comparing a total of four exposure models, including two highly spatially resolved models: a land-use regression (LUR) model and a dispersion model.
Background: Epidemiologic studies have reported associations between air pollution levels and semen characteristics, which might in turn affect a couple's ability to achieve a live birth. Our aim was to characterize short-term effects of atmospheric pollutants on fecundability (the month-specific probability of pregnancy among noncontracepting couples).
Methods: For a cohort of births between 1994 and 1999 in Teplice (Czech Republic), we averaged fine particulate matter (PM2.
Background: Epidemiologic studies have reported inconsistent findings for the association between air pollution levels and blood pressure (BP), which has been studied mainly in elderly subjects. Short-term air pollution effects on BP have not been investigated in pregnant women, who may constitute a vulnerable population.
Methods: Between 2002 and 2006, 1500 pregnant women from a mother-child cohort study conducted in Nancy and Poitiers, France, underwent 11,220 repeated BP measurements (average, 7.