Preterm Births, Air Pollution, And Billions That It Costs America

Preterm births attributed to air pollution cost the US economy around $ 4 billion annually in health expenses and lost productivity, a new study claims.

The study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, pointed out that 3.3 percent of the 15,808 preterm births in the US recorded in 2010 were related to high particulate matter. The study claimed that increasing toxins in the body caused by high levels of pollution could be responsible for preterm deliveries. However, it stopped short of showing a causal relationship.

"PM2.5 may contribute substantially to burden and costs of PTB in the US, and considerable health and economic benefits could be achieved through environmental regulatory interventions that reduce PM2.5 exposure in pregnancy," the study's abstract reads. Particulate Matter 2.5 comprises pollutants measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which can easily circulate in the smallest blood vessels of the body.

Researchers used 2010 data procured from CDC, Environmental Protection Agency and other health agencies. Of the $ 4.33 billion estimated cost burden, $ 3.6 billion was lost in wages due to physical and mental deficits while another $ 760 million was lost due to extended hospitalization.

Birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy carries risk of several birth-related complications including breathing problems and low birth weight that is linked with other health disorders.

Though air pollution is a strong risk factor for preterm births, not all health professionals believe that it alone is causative. "Preterm birth, as well as other diseases and disorders, are due to the cumulative impact of various risk factors and it isn't constructive to continually pit one risk factor over another," Bruce Lanphear, a researcher at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, told The Huffington Post.

Studies in the past have linked both indoor and outdoor air pollution with autism, preterm birth and other congenital illnesses with an aim to prompt improved antenatal care, mainly for women with history of miscarriages and preterm births. A conclusive link between congenital disease and air pollution has proven elusive.