Air Pollution Exposure during Pregnancy Affects Baby's Birth Weight

Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can have a negative impact on the baby's weight, a new study says.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that women who are exposed to pollution from traffic air or coal power plants during pregnancy are at a higher risk of giving birth to children with low birth weight.

The findings come at a time when about one in every 12 babies is born with a low birth weight and it is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality or death before 28 days of age in the United States. A birth weight less than 2,500 grams (five pounds and eight ounces) is considered to be a low birth weight.

Low birth weight of children has been a concern among parents as they are at a higher risk of developing learning problems, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy and vision or hearing loss.

Researchers Dr. Tracey J. Woodruff and Dr. Jennifer Parker reached the conclusion after looking at three million births in America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Highlighting the risks associated with exposure to air pollution, researchers found the birth weight of babies dropping with an increase in the air pollution.

"What's significant is that these are air pollution levels to which practically everyone in the world is commonly exposed," Woodruff said in a news release. "These microscopic particles, which are smaller than the width of a human hair, are in the air that we all breathe."

Concerned with the findings, researchers urged for the introduction of stricter rules and regulations on particulate air pollution across the world.

"In the United States, we have shown over the last several decades that the benefits to health and wellbeing from reducing air pollution are far greater than the costs," Woodruff said. "This is a lesson that all nations can learn from."

The risks posed by air pollution have been a hot topic for a very long time. Previous studies have linked exposure to air pollution during pregnancy to a wide range of diseases, including asthma, autism and vitamin D deficiency in children and maternal pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a condition that triggers hypertension and will have a negative impact on both the expecting mothers and their babies.