58 | June 2019
fine-particulate matter pollution, toxins "may also cross the
placental barrier in pregnancy." This in turn, could affect
the growth of the fetus and add to a future threat for high
blood pressure in the child. Fetuses exposed to the high-
est level of air pollution during the third trimester are 61
percent more likely to have an elevated blood pressure in
childhood, compared to those exposed to the lowest level.
Scientists at the University of Aberdeen used over ten
years of global data to determine impacts upon fetal growth
by mothers' exposure to a range of factors from alcohol to
air pollution. It concluded that exposure to nitrogen diox-
ides brought about "smaller fetal head size" and "reduced
fetal growth," especially if exposure occurred in the last
three months of pregnancy." Ultrasounds were used to de-
termine fetal measurements.
A Rutgers study published in Cardiovascular Toxicology
determined that "early in the first trimester and late in the
third trimester" were critical "windows" during which pollut-
ants most impact the mother's and fetus' cardiovascular
systems. It advised that women not to go outside during
"high-smog" alerts, and to monitor their indoor air quality.
A study in Southwest Ontario by a team at the Lawson
Health Research Institute turned up a strong association
between exposure to sulfur dioxides (SO2) during preg-
nancy and unfavorable birth outcomes. It showed that
women were 30 percent more likely to have a low birth
weight baby and 20 percent more likely to deliver preterm if
they experienced a "high exposure to sulfur dioxide," com-
pared to those with a typically low exposure. Most of the
woman lived in areas with a dense grouping of smelters
and industrial plants.
And now for the good news!!
A just-released USC study, followed the health trajectories
of kids from the polluted areas of Southern California for
two decades, and found that a reduction in air pollution has
meant a fall in asthma rates. One of the study's contribut-
ing authors, Kiros Berhane, stated: "This is very likely a
direct result of the science-based environmental policies
that have been put in place."
Let's make sure our elected officials are made
aware of the facts.
pediatric asthma comes from NO2. The top five American
cities which have the greatest amount of pediatric asth-
ma linked to this type of air pollution are New York, Los
Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Las Vegas. The United
States came in third for asthma-related air pollution (be-
hind China and India), with 236,000 cases per year.
The 2019 State of Global Air (SOGA) report found that
air pollution will shorten a child's life expectancy by twenty
months on average. Risks are worse for those children liv-
ing in Africa and Asia. This comparison is to if there were
no air pollution risks.
Kings College London presented research that points to
the first potential evidence between psychotic episodes in
adolescents and air pollution. Their analysis was published
in JAMA Psychiatry. They examined and correlated in-depth
geographical air pollution data with samples of teens across
the United Kingdom. The results showed that those with the
highest exposure to NO2 and NOx (nitrogen oxides) com-
bined, accounted for 60 percent of the links between urban
living and adolescent psychotic episodes. Although not de-
finitive as a causal component, it is now being looked at as
a possible contributing factor.
A study released by the John Hopkins University
Bloomberg School of Public Health, published in Hyper-
tension, looked at blood pressure and pregnancy. A top
takeaway was if a pregnant mother were exposed to
TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE: IT'S BEYOND TIME FOR CLIMATE SAFETY
