Study links pollution to low birth weight in New Mexico

The authors of a new study say they have found a link between industrial air pollution in New Mexico and the state’s higher-than-average rates of babies with low birth weight.

The study, conducted by a team that includes members from the University of New Mexico, found that the relevant emissions were largely concentrated in the northwest and southeast parts of the state as well as in the Albuquerque area. 

Babies born with weights below 5 pounds, 8 ounces (2,500 grams) can face a host of health challenges and later, an increased risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, according to the study published in the Journal of Environmental Management.

About one in 12 babies, or 8.2%, in the United States is born with low birth weight, the researchers say. But in New Mexico, the rate is nearly one in 10,  9.1%, according to March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the health of moms and babies.

First of its kind

The study’s authors say their work is the first to examine the effects of air pollution on low birth weight in New Mexico by looking at individuals over a long period. The study examined the relationship between industrial emissions found near expecting women’s homes and the weight of their babies at birth.

The research team included:

• Assistant Professor Xi Gong, Ph.D. candidate Yanhong Huang and Associate Professor Yan Lin from the UNM Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.

• Assistant Professor Shuguang Leng and Associate Professor Li Luo from the UNM Department of Internal Medicine.

• Jenny Duong of the New Mexico Department of Health.

• Faculty from Texas State University and the University of Miami.

The team used data from the New Mexico Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to quantify exposure intensity by home address. They analyzed New Mexico birth certificates from 2008 to 2017, which included 233,340 babies with normal birth weights and 22,375 babies with low birth weights (defined in the study as below 2,500 grams). 

Researchers also compared information on demographic and medical factors between both groups for the analysis.

“We wanted to find out if industrial air pollution is a risk factor for low birth weight in New Mexico and we were able to identify five air pollutants that show significant positive associations to low birth weight,” Huang said.

The process

The study relied on annual emissions data from the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory Program — which requires industrial sites to submit detailed emissions reports each year — and EPA air quality monitoring data, to determine the amounts of air pollutants pregnant people were exposed to.

Researchers, the study says, discovered connections between residential exposures to several pollutants — including benzene, chlorine and styrene — during pregnancy and low birth weight in babies. 

Each of the pollutants is the result of industrial operations, the study says, and the researchers found that the closer pregnant people lived to locations generating those pollutants, the more likely they were to have a baby with low birth weight.

According to March of Dimes, low birth weight can contribute to the development of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, developmental disabilities, metabolic syndrome and obesity later in life. It can also create immediate challenges for babies, such as vision impairment and breathing and digestion problems.

Next up

The authors suggest further research should emphasize the southeastern part of the state, which is close to more than 50 industrial sites in Texas that emit the chemicals identified in the study.

Gong and Huang will next work on a similar study focused on industrial air pollution and cancer rates in New Mexico.

“We hope these results can be used to help the public and government officials better understand the environmental risks of industrial air pollutants,” Gong said in the release.