What to Expect When It Gets Hotter: The Impacts of Prenatal Exposure to Extreme Heat on Maternal Health

Abstract

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Temperature, Workplace Safety, and Labor Market Inequality

“…It is also possible that some of the cross-sectional variation in injuries over income groups described above masks heterogeneity in unobserved determinants of productivity that are consistent with some degree of compensating differentials. However, viewed in light of recent evidence, includingKim et al (2020), who finds little evidence of compensating differentials for heat exposure in a sample of Korean workers, our results are consistent with the interpretation that exposure to extreme temperatures on the job may comprise another aspect of "bad jobs", in line with the Mortensen/Sorkin effect.…”

Physiological mechanisms of the impact of heat during pregnancy and the clinical implications: review of the evidence from an expert group meeting

“…Pregnant women and the fetus are increasingly recognised as being particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat (Roos et al 2021). There is mounting epidemiological evidence that high ambient temperatures are associated with pregnancy complications and adverse fetal and neonatal complications and outcomes including preterm birth, stillbirth, low birthweight (Zhang et al 2017;Chersich et al 2020), congenital anomalies (Haghighi et al 2021), pre-eclampsia (Shashar et al 2020), gestational diabetes (Pace et al 2021) and emergency hospital admissions during pregnancy (Kim et al 2019). There is also accumulating evidence of high temperatures negatively impacting the mental health of pregnant women, as well as altering their behaviour (Lin et al 2017).…”

Contribution of prenatal exposure to ambient temperature extremes and severe maternal morbidity: A retrospective Southern birth cohort

“…Our work parallels other studies highlighting Black compared to White mothers are more susceptible to high ambient temperatures, but prior studies have pointed to increased risk following heat exposure in the third trimester (2). Black women have higher rates of preterm hospitalization after hot temperature exposure in their first and third trimesters in Arizona, Washington, and New York (58) or higher preterm birth among Black birthing populations in the third trimester in Northern California (47). Black women may be more exposed to extreme heat due to their resident locations in areas with less tree canopy and limited access to mitigating measures (e.g., air conditioning) (59).…”