Asthma in infants linked to pollution exposure in the womb, according to a new study.
Pregnant women exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to have children with asthma, a study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has found.
The study, the first of its kind to link asthma to prenatal exposure to air pollution, pinpoints ultrafine particles as a leading aggravator, most commonly emitted by road traffic vehicles and wood-burners.
The study followed nearly 400 mothers and their children in Boston and tracked daily levels of ultrafine particulate matter around their homes. It was found that many who lived near major roads with higher traffic density were most exposed.
Over 18 per cent of the children would go on to asthma by preschool, compared to the overall US average of 7 per cent.
Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects one in 12 adults in the UK. The NHS explains that asthma ‘affects people of all ages, and often starts in childhood’. The condition is caused by swelling of the airways triggered by allergies, smoke and exercise.
However, ultrafine particles are not confined to asthma, but have also been linked with other health conditions such as brain cancer. The researchers of this study hoped that demonstrating the severe health effects of air pollution will inform better policies to help tackle dirty air.
Professor Rosalind Wright, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, commented: ‘Our research is an important early step in building the evidence base that can lead to better monitoring of exposure to UFPs and ultimately to regulation.
‘Childhood asthma remains a global epidemic that is likely to grow with the anticipated rise in particulate air pollution exposures due to the effects of climate change.’
This news comes as air pollution has been linked to an increase child GP consultations. The coroner of Ella Kissi-Debrah, Philip Barlow, has called for UK air quality legal limits to be placed in line with the WHO‘s recommended safe levels.
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