Air Pollution in Space and Time.

This article reports on the finding that the typical use of air pollution data from fixed monitoring stations may be inadequate for accurately pinpointing the links between air pollution and birth outcomes. Researchers' discovery that carbon monoxide and particulate matter had significant adverse effects on preterm and low-birth-weight and late in pregnancy. The researchers were able to account for many potentially confounding factors, including maternal age, level of prenatal care, and infant's sex. The researchers concluded that improved air pollutant data reflecting both geographic variation and the specific substances in the ambient air mixture will lead to much better understanding of air pollutants on birth effects.