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Original Article
- Decreased birth weight after prenatal exposure to wildfires on the eastern coast of Korea in 2000
- En-Joo Jung, Ah-Young Lim, Jong-Hun Kim
- Epidemiol Health. 2023;45:e2023003. Published online December 9, 2022
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2023003
- 20,737 View
- 224 Download
- 12 Web of Science
- 7 Crossref
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Abstract
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Supplementary Material -
AbstractOBJECTIVES
In April 2000, a series of wildfires occurred simultaneously in five adjacent small cities located on the eastern coast of Korea. These wildfires burned approximately 23,794 hectares of forestland over several days. We investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to the by-products generated by wildfire disasters on birth weight.METHODSBirth weight data were obtained for 1999-2001 from the birth registration database of the Korean National Statistical Office and matched with the zip code and exposed/unexposed pregnancy week for days of the wildfires. Generalized linear models were then used to assess the associations between birth weight and exposure to wildfires after adjusting for fetal sex, gestational age, parity, maternal age, maternal education, paternal education, and average exposed atmospheric temperature.RESULTSCompared with unexposed pregnancies before and after the wildfires, mean birth weight decreased by 41.4 g (95% confidence interval [CI], -72.4 to -10.4) after wildfire exposure during the first trimester, 23.2 g (95% CI, -59.3 to 13.0) for exposure during the second trimester, and 27.0 g (95% CI, -63.8 to 9.8) during the third trimester. In the adjusted model for infants exposed in utero during any trimester, the mean birth weight decreased by 32.5 g (95% CI, -53.2 to -11.7).CONCLUSIONSWe observed a 1% reduction in birth weight after wildfire exposure. Thus, exposure to by-products generated during a wildfire disaster during pregnancy may slow fetal growth and cause developmental delays. -
SummaryKorean summary
산불로 인한 연소 부산물에 대한 태아기 노출이 출생 체중에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. 산불 발생 전후로 연소 부산물에 노출되지 않았던 신생아와 비교하였을 때, 노출된 신생아의 평균 출생 체중은 32.5g (-53.2~-11.7g) 감소하였다. 임신 중 산불로 인한 연소 부산물에 대한 노출은 태아 성장을 느리게 하거나 발달 지연을 일으킬 수 있다.Key Message
The study investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to by-products generated by wildfire disasters on birth weight. Compared to newborns who were not prenatally exposed to wildfire byproducts, exposed newborns had a 32.5 g (-53.2 to -11.7 g) reduction in birth weight. Exposure to wildfire by-products during pregnancy can slow fetal growth or cause developmental delays. -
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- Health impacts of a short-lived, small-scale wildfire in South Korea
Changwoo Han, Jaiyong Kim, Hoyeon Jang, Yeseul Yun, Tarik Benmarhnia
International Journal of Epidemiology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef - Prenatal wildfire smoke exposure and adverse neonatal outcomes in a high-risk cohort of pregnant women with asthma
Bronwyn K. Brew, Peter G. Gibson, Adam Collison, Wilfried Karmaus, Stuart Szwec, Elizabeth Holliday, Geoffrey Morgan, Karthik Gopi, Graeme Zosky, Megan E. Jensen, Vanessa M. McDonald, Paul D. Robinson, Joerg Mattes, Vanessa E. Murphy
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.2026; 235(1): 146. CrossRef - Domestic and Transboundary Impacts of High-Concentration PM2.5 Generated by Large-Scale Wildfire in South Korea
Ui-Jae Lee, Myeong-Ju Kim, Jin-Young Kim, Sang-Deok Lee
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.2026; 43(7): 1347. CrossRef - Epidemiological profile of the natural hazards-related disasters in Asia from 2000 to 2021
Andrea Fernández García, Rick Kye Gan, José Antonio Cernuda Martínez, Pedro Arcos González
Journal of Public Health Policy.2025; 46(3): 617. CrossRef - Impact of climate change and environmental adversities on maternal and fetal health: the role of clinical practices and providers in mitigating effects and prioritising women's health in the UK
Athina Samara, Thomas Hanton, Ranee Thakar, Eric Jauniaux, Asma Khalil
Frontiers in Global Women's Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef - Wildfire Smoke: Health Effects, Mechanisms, and Mitigation
Ying Lei, Tze-Huan Lei, Chan Lu, Xue Zhang, Faming Wang
Environmental Science & Technology.2024; 58(48): 21097. CrossRef - Natural Disaster Epidemiology and Reproductive Health
Emily W. Harville, Bianka Northland
Current Epidemiology Reports.2023; 10(4): 169. CrossRef
- Health impacts of a short-lived, small-scale wildfire in South Korea
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