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Background: Postpartum depression (PPD), which affects up to 1 in 5 mothers globally, negatively impacts the health of both mothers and children. Exposure to ambient air pollution has been linked to depressive symptoms in animal models and human studies, but the relationship between air pollution and PPD has not been widely studied., Methods: In a birth cohort in Mexico City (509 mothers with available data), we examined the association between exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM 2.5 ) with symptoms of psychological dysfunction at 1 and 6 months postpartum. Daily PM 2.5 estimates were derived from a hybrid satellite-based spatio-temporally resolved model and averaged over pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at 1 and 6 months were used to assess the relationship between PM 2.5 exposure and probable PPD (EPDS score ≥13) using relative risk regression and symptoms of anhedonia, depression, and anxiety (derived from EPDS subscales) using negative binomial regression., Results: A 5-μg/m 3 increase in average PM 2.5 exposure during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of PPD at 6 months (RR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.28) and of late-onset PPD (no PPD at 1 month, PPD at 6 months) (RR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.40 to 4.73) in covariate-adjusted models. No association was observed between PM 2.5 exposure in the first year postpartum and PPD. Average PM 2.5 exposure during pregnancy was also associated with increased 6-month EPDS subscale symptom scores for anhedonia (p = 0.03) and depression (p = 0.04)., Conclusion: Our results suggest that in women in Mexico City, particulate matter exposure during pregnancy is positively associated with PPD and symptoms of anhedonia and depression at 6 months postpartum. Future studies should examine mechanisms linking air pollution and other environmental exposures during pregnancy with postpartum psychological functioning., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Prenatal and early childhood lead exposures have been associated with reduced weight in infants and young children, while studies that have examined such associations in children during peripubescence are rare., Objectives: We investigated the associations of prenatal and early-life exposure to lead with indices of adiposity in peripubertal children living in Mexico City., Methods: Maternal bone lead (as a proxy for cumulative fetal exposure) was assessed at 1 month postpartum. Blood samples were obtained from children annually from 1 to 4 years. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between each lead biomarker and BMI z-score, waist circumference, sum of skinfolds and body fat percentage in 248 children aged 8-16 years., Results: After adjusting for covariates, maternal patella lead was associated with lower child BMI z-score (β = -0.02, 95% CI: 0.03, -0.01, p = 0.004), waist circumference (β = -0.12 cm, 95% CI: 0.22, -0.03, p = 0.01), sum of skinfolds (β = -0.29 mm, 95% CI: 0.50, -0.08, p = 0.007) and body fat percentage (β = -0.09%, 95% CI: 0.17, -0.01, p = 0.03). No significant associations were detected from the postnatal exposure period., Conclusions: We observed a significant and inverse association of prenatal lead exposure with body composition in Mexican children, suggesting the potential role of early lead exposure in the fetal programming of child growth. Further research on the biological mechanisms underlying these associations is needed., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)