Implications of the observed effect of air pollution on birth weight

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether air pollution in the Los Angeles Basin is affecting birth weight. The data base for the study consisted of daily air pollutant averages from the Air Pollution Control District of Los Angeles County, California, obstetric records of births at the University of Califoria at Los Angeles Hospital for the year 1973, and smoking information on each gravida. The effect of total pollution level was significantly negatively associated with birth weight after removing the effects of other variables significantly associated with birth weight. Infants born to nonsmoking women who lived in the more polluted areas of the city weigh an average of 314 grams less than infants born to women living in the less polluted areas.