Air pollution increases the risk of premature birth

A large-scale study demonstrated that toxic substances in the air increase the risk of premature birth in women by up to 30%.

Exposure to toxic chemicals in the air puts the risk of premature birth
in women increased by 30%. (Photo: Telegraph).

Telegraph reported scientists from the University of California in the US, tracking 100,000 births within a 9 km radius around the air monitoring stations in Los Angeles County, California, USA. The follow-up process started in June 2004 and lasted for 22 months.

Experts use information about births provided by health officials, and interview pregnant women to understand the link between air pollution and the risk of premature birth. The results showed that pregnant women exposed to the most toxic substances in the air were 30% more likely to give birth to premature babies than those exposed to normal air.

Each toxic chemical in the air increases the risk of premature birth to a different degree. For example, the chemical emitted by diesel engines increases the risk by 10%, while the ammonium nitrate (NH ₄ NO ₃ ) salts increase the risk by 21%.

Ammonium nitrate is a colorless crystalline salt used to produce fertilizers, explosives and rocket fuel. Because it was born from another contaminant, it was called a secondary pollutant.

" An increase in the risk of premature birth caused by ammonium nitrate particles suggests that secondary pollutants also affect fetal health ," said Dr. Beate Ritz, lead researcher.

The study also found that the level of air pollution in the summer is larger than in the winter, inland is larger than the area near the coast.

Previously, scientists knew that polluted air increased the risk of underweight in fetus and newborn.