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Monday, November 14, 2011

Smog shortens pregnancy

When pulled into town a bad air, it also warns the mother's belly. Perhaps for this reason that the risk of premature birth may increase up to 30% for women who spend pregnancy in areas particularly affected by air pollution. A support is a California study published in the journal Environmental Health .

STUDY - A growing number of studies which show a link between exposure to smog and some complications of pregnancy such as preterm delivery and birth weight babies. To clarify this relationship, researchers at the University of California have decided to conduct a comprehensive epidemiological study in Los Angeles County, one of the most polluted cities in the United States. To do this, they collected data on 100 thousand babies come to light between 2004 and 2006 within a radius of eight kilometers from the air quality monitoring stations in the U.S. metropolis, and they cross this information with data collected from smog ECUs.

THE NUMBERS - Statistical analysis revealed that exposure to air pollution may be a risk factor that can shorten the duration of pregnancy. Among the most dangerous pollutants are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced by the combustion of petroleum, which would be associated with inhalation of an increased risk of premature delivery of up to 30%. Other toxic substances such as benzene and particulate matter produced by diesel exhaust are associated with an increased risk of 10%, while the particles of ammonium nitrate (formed as a "secondary pollutants" from chemical reactions occurring in the atmosphere) the increase of 21%. The concentrations of these substances proved to be greater in winter and lower in the areas closest to the sea, proving once again that the geographical location and local weather conditions play a crucial role in the spread of pollutants.

DOUBTS - "The California study provides important data, because it was conducted on a very large sample, but you should be cautious in drawing conclusions," says Manuela Wally Ossola, head of the department of pathology of pregnancy Mangiagalli clinic in Milan. "It can be assumed that the smog promotes oxidative stress and production of proinflammatory molecules in the maternal uterus and placenta, just like in the respiratory tract, but - he added - need more studies that show it, by checking, For example, if you have significant biochemical and metabolic changes in the utero-placental District. " The same researchers led by the epidemiologist Beate Ritz California emphasize that their study has several limitations. First, the population of pregnant women taken into consideration is made ​​mostly immigrant women, mostly of Hispanic origin living in economic hardship and have difficulties in accessing health care system. The study also did not take into account other important information on risk factors that may have contributed to preterm birth, such as the habit of smoking in expectant mothers. "This research provides only a statistical correlation between smog and premature births - says Manuela Wally Ossola - but if we really want to evaluate the effects of pollution on pregnancy are more accurate, because preterm birth is a very complex condition and multifactorial ".

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