A significant association between exposure to high temperatures and air pollution and increased risk of preterm birth and low birth weight, with communities of color disproportionately affected, a new review of 57 studies has found.
The findings, co-authored by Rupa Basu of the California Environmental Protection Agency, build on her groundbreaking 2010 study that first identified the link between heat and premature births. Basu analyzed 60,000 summertime births in California from 1999 to 2006 and discovered higher preterm birth rates during periods of elevated temperatures.
Scientists have now observed this association in every developed nation studied, as well as the few developing countries with available data. However, researcher Ana Bonell of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine notes that a lack of electronic health records and pregnancy tracking equipment hinders research in most parts of Africa.
A study in Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, revealed that extremely hot days increased the risk of preterm birth by 15 percent, with the greatest impact on communities of color living in neighborhoods with more concrete than greenery. This underscores the disproportionate burden of climate change on underrepresented populations.
As global temperatures continue to rise, addressing the link between extreme heat and adverse birth outcomes, particularly among vulnerable communities, becomes increasingly urgent.
See: “How did we miss this for so long?: The link between extreme heat and preterm birth” (June 5, 2024)
