Exposure to outdoor residential noise during pregnancy, embryonic size, fetal growth, and birth outcomes

Abstract

Introduction: Previous literature suggested that noise exposure during pregnancy was not associated with adverse birth outcomes. However, no studies evaluated the association between noise exposure and embryonic and fetal growth, or mutually assessed other urban environmental exposures such as traffic-related air pollution or natural spaces.

Methods: We included 7947 pregnant women from the Generation R Study, the Netherlands. We estimated total (road traffic, aircraft, railway, and industry), road traffic, and railway noise at the participants' home addresses during pregnancy using environmental noise maps. We estimated traffic-related air pollution using land-use regression models, greenness within a 300 m buffer using the normalized difference vegetation index, and distance to blue spaces using topographical maps at the home addresses. Embryonic size (crown-rump length) and fetal growth parameters (head circumference, femur length, and estimated fetal weight) were measured by ultrasound at several gestational ages. Information on neonatal anthropometrics at birth (head circumference, length, and weight) and adverse birth outcomes (preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age) were retrieved from medical records.

Results: Higher total noise exposure during pregnancy was associated with larger crown-rump length (0.07 SDS [95%CI 0.00 to 0.14]). No association was found with fetal growth parameters, neonatal anthropometrics, and adverse birth outcomes. Similar results were observed for road traffic noise exposure, while railway noise exposure was not associated with any of the outcomes. Traffic-related air pollution was not associated with crown-rump length. Total noise exposure mediated 15% of the association between exposure to greenness and smaller crown-rump length. No association was observed between distance to blue spaces and total noise exposure.

Conclusion: Exposure to outdoor residential noise during pregnancy was associated with larger embryonic size. Moreover, a reduction of total noise exposure during pregnancy partially mediated the association between exposure to greenness and smaller embryonic size. Additional research is warranted to confirm and further understand these novel findings.

Keywords: Cohort study; Development; Environmental pollution; Pregnancy; Road traffic noise.