A recent study conducted in Los Angeles found that women with higher exposure to ultrafine particles from airplanes were more likely to have a preterm birth (before 37 weeks). The study was able to adjust for air pollution from traffic and other known factors causing preterm birth, so we know that the increased likelihood for preterm births was air pollution from airplanes.
We already know that airplanes have an impact on climate change. Now we can add another health risk from airplane exhaust: preterm birth.
The study found that women living in the highest exposure area to ultrafine particles from airplanes at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) (red on the map) were 14% more likely to have a preterm birth than women living in the lowest exposure area (purple on the map). As exposure to ultrafine particles from airplanes increased from low to medium to high, so did the likelihood of preterm birth. And again showing our country’s environmental racism, women with the highest exposure were more likely to be Latina or Black.
The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Researchers used EPA data to calculate exposure to ultrafine particle pollution from air planes. They were able to adjust for other known factors for preterm birth including traffic pollution, noise, and individual characteristics.
Read a news article about the study here.
Read the scientific article in Environmental Health Perspectives here.
