Exposure to air pollution significantly reduces fetus size during pregnancy, say Australian scientists from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). QUT researcher Dr Adrian Barnett said the study compared the fetus sizes of more than 15,000 ultrasound scans in Brisbane to air pollution levels within a 14km radius of the city. He found that mothers with a higher exposure to air pollution had fetuses that were, on average, smaller in terms of abdominal circumference, head circumference and femur length. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at fetuses between 13 and 26 weeks duration. "To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind as it uses ultrasound measurement as a direct estimate of growth, rather than using birth weight as a delayed measure of growth," Barnett said.
"When analyzing scans from women at different distances to monitoring sites, we found that there was a negative relationship between pollutants such as sulfur dioxide found in diesel emissions, and ultrasound measurement. If the pollution levels were high the size of the fetus decreased significantly," noted Barnett.
The study reiterated that birth weight is a major predictor of later health, and can affect IQ and cardiovascular health.
Dr Barnett said it was wise for pregnant women to try to reduce their exposure to air pollution and that living near major roads or freeways presented a very real risk. "While we need to get more data from individual mothers before we can be more certain about the effects of air pollution on fetal development, we would recommend that where possible pregnant women reduce their exposure to air pollution," he concluded.
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Source: Queensland University of Technology
