Adverse Effects of Air Pollution on the Probability of Stillbirth Delivery: Evidence from Central Chile

This paper examines the effect of exposure to air pollution on the probability of a pregnancy ending in a stillbirth delivery. We use official registry data of pregnancy outcomes and municipality-week level data on PM10 and CO air pollution concentrations for 84 municipalities in Chile over the period 2008-2015. Using a hazard function approach to account for time at risk throughout the duration of pregnancies, we find that acute exposure to PM10 and CO pollution has a significant adverse effect on the probability of stillbirth delivery, and find no significant effect of chronic exposure to these pollutants. For a stillbirth rate of 5.7 per every thousand pregnancies in our sample, we find that a one-standard-deviation increase in acute exposure to PM10 pollution (S.D.=23.34) results in a 10.5 percent increase in the probability of stillbirth. Similarly, a one-standard-deviation increase in acute exposure to CO pollution (S.D.=.54) results in a 5.3 percent increase in probability of stillbirth. Furthermore, we further examine the most likely pathway in which air pollution adversely affects a fetal death that results in stillbirth delivery (via lack of oxygen flowing to the fetus that may eventually result in a stillbirth due to hypoxia). We find indeed larger effects of acute exposure to air pollution (both PM10 as well as CO) on the probability of stillbirth due to hypoxia.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Inter-American Development Bank
Other Authors:	Sebastián J. Miller
Format:	Discussion Papers & Presentations biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Inter-American Development Bank
Subjects:	Pollution, Air Quality, Q53 - Air Pollution • Water Pollution • Noise • Hazardous Waste • Solid Waste • Recycling,
Online Access:	http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0001273 https://publications.iadb.org/en/adverse-effects-air-pollution-probability-stillbirth-delivery-evidence-central-chile
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