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Preconception and Early Pregnancy Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Risk of Cleft Lip and/or Palate: A
Fatih Sezer1, Sıddika Songül Yalçın1, Murat Kara2
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Unit of Social Pediatrics, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye.
Birth Defects Research
|July 31, 2026
Summary
Exposure to air pollution, specifically ozone (O₃) and particulate matter (PM₂.₅, PM₁₀), before and during early pregnancy increases the risk of cleft lip and/or palate (CLP). These findings emphasize air quality
Area of Science:
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Congenital Anomalies Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) is a common global birth defect.
- Ambient air pollution is an emerging environmental factor implicated in CLP etiology.
- Understanding environmental exposures is crucial for CLP prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ambient air pollutant exposure and CLP risk.
- To examine exposures during the critical preconception and first trimester periods.
- To identify specific pollutants contributing to CLP risk.
Main Methods:
- Hospital-based case-control study (127 CLP cases, 271 controls).
- Collected data on ambient air pollutants (PM₂, PM₁₀, O₃, NO₂, NOₓ, NO, SO₂, CO).
- Utilized single-pollutant, multi-pollutant, and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models.
Main Results:
- Increased CLP risk associated with higher exposure to ozone (O₃), PM₂.₅, and PM₁₀.
- Ozone showed the most consistent and strongest association with CLP risk.
- Air pollution, particularly ozone and particulate matter, linked to nonsyndromic CLP risk.
Conclusions:
- Ambient air quality is a significant factor in the multifactorial etiology of CLP.
- Highlights the need for further research with refined exposure assessment and larger cohorts.
- Findings inform potential prevention strategies for CLP.
