Study: Premature births due to air pollution cost U.S. $4 billion a year

U.S. premature births linked to air pollution cost more than $4 billion a year in medical care and lost economic opportunity, a new analysis estimates (Source: “U.S. preterm births tied to air pollution cost $4 billion a year,” Reuters, March 29, 2016).

Almost 16,000 babies arrive early each year due at least in part to air pollution, according to researchers who analyzed air quality data and birth records. The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Annual costs associated with these premature births include nearly $3.6 billion in lost wages and productivity due to physical and mental deficits tied to the early arrivals as well as $760 million for extended hospitalizations and long-term use of medications, researchers calculated.