Preterm Births Linked to Air Pollution Cost Billions in the U.S.

Air pollution leads to 16,000 premature births in the United States each year, leading to billions of dollars in economic costs, according to new research.

Researchers behind the study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that preterm births associated with particulate matter—a type of pollutant—led to more than $4 billion in economic costs in 2010 due to medical care and lost productivity that results from disability.