ANI
06 Aug 2022, 04:55 GMT+10
Washington [US], August 5 (ANI): A study has revealed mild exposure to common smog pollutants such as inhalable airborne particles and carbon monoxide during pregnancy results in adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes.
The study was published in the journal, 'Open Medicine'.
China has experienced significant economic growth in recent decades. While this has increased prosperity, it has come at a cost in the form of industrial pollution. The air quality in many Chinese cities is very poor compared with most cities in developed countries with less than 1% of the largest Chinese cities meeting acceptable standards of air quality. Smog seriously threatens human health, and pregnant women and fetuses are more susceptible to its effects than the general population.
Lead author Yijing Zhai and colleagues studied the effects of common smog pollutants on pregnancy outcomes in Baoding, Hebei, an area in China that experiences significant air pollution. They correlated levels of different pollutants with pregnancy outcomes in 842 women over a three-year period. These pollutants included inhalable airborne particles, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
The study paints a stark picture of the ill effects of common air pollutants on pregnant women and their unborn children and highlights the need to couple economic growth and industrialization with environmental protection.
"The findings of our analysis may help decision-makers to develop targeted policies and environmental measures to reduce the health hazards of air pollution," the authors conclude.
The researchers found that mild exposure to inhalable particles during an entire pregnancy increased the risk of low birth weight, and mild exposure to carbon monoxide during the third trimester had the same effect. Similarly, mild exposure to inhalable particles increased the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy, with particular sensitivity in the first and third trimesters. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide during the second trimester had a similar effect. Finally, exposure to airborne particles during the third trimester increased the risk of waters breaking early. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Northern Ireland News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Northern Ireland News.
More InformationLONDON, England: Following a request by Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the Horniman Museum in London has agreed ...
SUSSEX, UK - After a Premier League game, a fight broke out, leading to the murder of an Irish drug ...
OTTAWA, Ontario: Military trainers from Canada will head to the United Kingdom to teach Ukrainians new techniques for fighting the ...
LONDON, England: British Airways has halted ticket sales for short-haul flights that depart before the middle of August from London's ...
LONDON, England: In 2023, America's Major League Baseball is set to return to London for the first time since 2019, ...
As Russian forces advanced in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, volunteers raced against time under deadly fire to convince the last ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. will participate in a joint military exercise in mid-October with India, less than 62 miles from ...
SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea has launched a domestically manufactured lunar orbiter that took off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space ...
MOSCOW, Russia: A leading Russian scientist in the field of hypersonic flight, Dr. Alexander Shiplyuk, has been arrested on suspicion ...
LOS ANGELES, California: During a meeting that was disrupted by protesters this week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. Justice Department announced this week that former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vazquez has been arrested in ...
OTTAWA, Ontario: Military trainers from Canada will head to the United Kingdom to teach Ukrainians new techniques for fighting the ...