Late-pregnancy air pollution exposure and neonatal anthropometry with and without gestational hypertension.

This study examined the relationships among gestational hypertension (GH), peridelivery inflammatory biomarkers, late-pregnancy air pollution exposure, and neonatal anthropometric outcomes. Pregnant women recruited during the second trimester were classified into the GH or normotensive group. Maternal characteristics, blood pressure, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and neonatal outcomes were assessed. Exposure to PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) during the 30 days before delivery was estimated using ambient monitoring data. Women with GH had higher maternal hs-CRP concentrations and delivered neonates with lower birth weight and smaller chest and abdominal circumferences. PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO exposures were inversely associated with birth length. Mediation analyses showed no significant indirect effects through hs-CRP, IL-1β, or TNF-α, although maternal and cord blood TNF-α concentrations were positively correlated. These findings indicate that GH and late-pregnancy air pollution exposure are associated with less favorable neonatal anthropometric outcomes through pathways not explained by the measured circulating inflammatory biomarkers.