A study published in the journal Environment International shows that children born to women who are exposed to higher levels of fine particle air pollution (PM2.5) are more likely to have decreased weight and BMI at 4 years of age.
The study was conducted in multiple cities in Spain as part of the Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) study. Air pollution was assessed during all 3 trimesters of pregnancy, and during the child’s first year of life. Children’s birthweight and length, and height and weight at 4 years old, were measured.
The results showed lower weight at 4 years of age for children whose mothers had higher PM2.5 exposure during the first trimester. The researchers adjusted for air pollution exposure in the other trimesters of pregnancy and after the child was born, and still found that first trimester prenatal exposure was linked to growth at 4 years of age.
This shows that prenatal exposure to PM2.5 can have long lasting effects on children, and that we need to do better to clean up our air, especially in communities that continue to have higher levels of PM2.5.
