Scientists raise alarm over newborn health threat lingering in air: 'Our findings ... support local and national initiatives'

According to a news release from the University at Buffalo in New York, researchers have published a study that found that newborns whose mothers were exposed to common air pollutants later in their pregnancies generally required more specialized care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

What's happening?

Air pollution, even short-term exposure to particulate matter, has been found to impact human health negatively. Pregnant people and their fetuses are even more susceptible to the effects of air pollution, with potential impacts including maternal hypertension, placental abruption, low birth weight, and preterm birth, per a 2024 publication in the journal Seminars in Perinatology.

The journal Scientific Reports published a new study in January that evaluated adverse effects on newborns in the United States when their mothers were exposed to such pollutants in later pregnancy. Researchers from the University at Buffalo, the University of Maryland, and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) found that toward a pregnancy's end exposures to higher levels of the common air pollutants nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (PM_2.5) were "associated with an increased risk of NICU admission."

NO₂  is a gas often produced by the combustion of fossil fuels and released into the atmosphere by vehicles, factories, and power plants. Meanwhile "emissions from combustion of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or wood produce much of the PM_2.5 pollution found in outdoor air," per the California Air Resources Board.

Mothers who were exposed to NO₂ delivered newborns with a 30-35% increased risk of NICU admission. Exposure to PM_2.5 increased NICU admissions risk by 11-22%. 

The study also found that the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. had the highest risks of NICU admission due to NO₂ exposure. 

"While our findings are not causal, limiting direct inference, they support local and national initiatives aimed at further reducing air pollution and improving air quality," said Yohane V.A. Phiri, the study's first author, per the release.

Why is this important?

A newborn is admitted to the NICU because they require extra monitoring or treatment for a potentially dangerous health threat. If air pollutants are increasing the chance that very young infants are starting off life with avoidable complications, this should be taken seriously in order to improve neonatal health outcomes.

NICU admissions in the U.S. can also be costly, emotionally and financially. And the kinds of health threats that are managed there have the potential to result in long-term conditions. 

The paper's authors note that "Despite the relatively low-moderate US exposure levels, traffic-related pollutants near the end of pregnancy appear to increase overall adverse health risks for newborns." Meanwhile, a recent study out of Northwestern University showed disparities nationwide in exposure to NO₂  and PM_2.5 , with a release from the institution noting that "the populations living closest to major roadways are largely non-white, raising concerns about the equitable distribution of air pollution burdens." 

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Globally, the World Health Organization noted in 2024 that an estimated 89% of premature deaths caused by outdoor air pollution took place in low- and middle-income countries. Together these data points seem to suggest the potential for polluted air — and the adverse neonatal outcomes it may contribute to — to disproportionately impact marginalized communities in and outside of the U.S.

What can I do to help?

Tackling poor air quality begins by learning about critical climate issues and understanding how certain behaviors and decisions — such as going solar or riding a bike instead of driving a gas-powered car — can reduce the concentration of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere.

Change doesn't need to be drastic to be impactful. Sustainable swaps and conscious choices can go a long way in bringing about cleaner air and a cooler planet for all — including pregnant people and infants, who are already vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events and environmental disasters.

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