Air Pollution and Fetal Loss in the Global Tropics

Abstract: Recent work has shown that in-utero air pollution has negative effects on both contemporaneous birth outcomes and long-term human capital outcomes. However, only a few studies explore the effects of in-utero exposure to air pollution on fetal loss, and none of the studies has been done in developing countries. In this study, we examine the impact of naturally caused CO and PM 2.5 on reproductive outcomes in 40 developing countries from 1997 to 2009. We present childbirths and birth gender as measures for potential fetal losses. The richest model identified using variation in pollution between pregnancies with controlling for seasonal and annual patterns of pollution in each country differently. We find an increased likelihood of fetal loss in the early stages of pregnancy due to first trimester exposure to PM 2.5. The results provide useful information for assessing benefit of air pollution reductions in developing countries