Air pollution can hurt unborn babies, study says even low levels of exposure may lead to risk of asthma & COPD in adulthood
air pollution, even at relatively low levels, is associated with women giving birth to smaller babies, according to a study. The research, to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy from September 9-13, also shows that women living in greener areas give birth to bigger babies and this may help counteract the effects of pollution.
There is a strong relationship between birthweight and lung health, with low birthweight children facing a higher risk of asthma and higher rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) as they grow older, the researchers said.
There is a need to reduce air pollution and make towns and cities greener to help protect babies and their developing lungs from potential harm, they said.
The study was based on data from the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study and presented by Robin Mzati Sinsamala, a researcher at the University of Bergen (UiB), Norway.
It included 4,286 children and their mothers living in five European countries — Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Estonia.
The researchers gauged the greenness of the areas where the women were living during pregnancy by measuring the density of vegetation on satellite images.
