Pregnant women advised to reduce exposure to air pollution

10 Jan 2008

Scientists in Australia have discovered a correlation between air pollution levels and smaller foetus size during pregnancy.

Research carried out at Queensland University of Technology found that pollution in the air significantly reduced the size of a developing foetus.

Commenting on the findings, senior research fellow Dr Adrian Barnett said: "The study found that mothers with a higher exposure to air pollution had foetuses that were, on average, smaller in terms of abdominal circumference, head circumference and femur length."

"When analysing scans from women at different distances to monitoring sites, we found that there was a negative relationship between pollutants such as sulphur dioxide found in diesel emissions, and ultrasound measurement. If the pollution levels were high the size of the foetus decreased significantly," he explained.

Other studies has shown that a healthy baby weight at birth serves as a strong indicator of the future health of the child, with infants of a lower birth weight more likely to develop depression in later life.

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