Notes
Science selection article by Lindsey Konkel published in Environmental Health Perspectives (July 2020, vol. 128, no. 7, doi:10.1289/EHP7161) summarizing a UCLA/USC study by Sam Wing, Scott Fruin, and Beate Ritz on preterm birth risk associated with ultrafine particle (UFP) aircraft emissions downwind of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The study modeled UFP dispersion from LAX using two steady-state incoming flight paths, validated against mobile air measurements, and analyzed birth records (2008–2016) for mothers within 15 km of LAX, finding mothers in the highest UFP exposure quartile were approximately 14% more likely to have a preterm birth than those in the lowest quartile. UFPs (less than 0.1 µm aerodynamic diameter) are not regulated by the EPA under NAAQS; the study adjusted for nitrogen dioxide as a traffic-related air pollution proxy, airport noise, and maternal age, education, and race.