Pregnancy

Does smog affect pregnancy?

How does smog affect a fetus?

December 14, 2021

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How Air Pollution Impacts Pregnancy

Researchers have spent years studying the impacts of air pollution on pregnancy and the potential adverse effects of air pollution on pregnant women and their babies, and the prognosis gets more bleak with each new finding.

Here is all you need to know about air quality, pollution sources, and how to avoid breathing in dangerous air while pregnant.

What is Air Pollution?

There are several forms of air pollution. Typically, polluted air comprises ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, car emissions, building emissions, passive smoking, dust, and chemicals. You may be exposed to air pollution regardless of whether you reside in a rural or urban region.

Common signs of prolonged air pollution exposure include:

Coughing
Wheezing
Eye and sinus irritation
Advanced respiratory diseases like bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema
Chronic fatigue
Decreased lung capacity and shortness of breath
Damage to lungs and heart
Cancer

Although air pollution is harmful to all living things, pregnant women, children, infants, persons with respiratory issues, and the elderly are impacted the most.

Potential Dangers of Exposure to Air Pollution During Pregnancy

Air pollution’s effects on pregnant mothers and their unborn children are the topic of continuing research.

Here are some serious consequences you may need to be aware of.

At 38 to 40 weeks, the ideal pregnancy generates newborns weighing between six and nine pounds. Low birth weight is defined as infants weighing less than five pounds and eight ounces at delivery. On average, one out of every twelve babies in the United States is born underweight for a variety of reasons, but it is believed that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is the culprit.

Intriguing study conducted in Beijing, one of the world’s most polluted cities, found a correlation between air pollution and low birth weight. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when the city was required to cut emissions and improve air quality, researchers watched pregnant women for two months. Women in their eighth month of pregnancy during the Olympics gave birth to babies weighing 0.8 ounces more than babies delivered during the same calendar months in prior years. The study is fascinating despite the fact that it is unclear which trimester, month, or week is more sensitive to the effects of air pollution.

Preterm Birth – According to a study undertaken by The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York, about three million newborns are born prematurely each year as a result of air pollution. This suggests that 18% of all preterm births each year are associated with exposure to particle pollution. Prematurely born children have a considerable risk of acquiring brain disorders and permanent physical disabilities. Although there are several reasons of premature birth, air pollution should be avoided.
Autism – Women who were exposed to high levels of particulate matter pollution during their third trimester were twice as likely to have a child with autism, especially if they lived near a highway where particulate matter levels were the highest. Importantly, this study indicated that women who were exposed to the same dangerous levels of particulate matter early in their pregnancies did not have a higher risk of giving birth to a child with autism.
Asthma – Air pollution makes asthma symptoms worse. Asthma may produce preeclampsia, a disorder characterised by elevated blood pressure and decreased liver and kidney function, which may be dangerous to pregnant women. When asthma is well managed, both you and your kid should be healthy. However, uncontrolled asthma may deprive your kid of oxygen, leading to stunted growth, premature delivery, and low birth weight. Due to particulate matter pollution reaching the placenta, exposure to air pollution has also been shown to increase your child’s chance of developing asthma in adulthood.
Fertility Problems – If you want to have a family or expand an existing one, you may need to be careful about the air you breathe. Multiple studies have shown that air pollution decreases both male and female fecundity. Moreover, several studies link air pollution to miscarriages.

Ways to Protect Yourself From Air Pollution While Pregnant

It is difficult to remove all possible risks to your and your child’s health, but you may significantly minimise your exposure to air pollution.

Read the Air Quality Index (AQI) – In 2014, the World Health Organization determined that 92% of the world’s population lives in areas with poor air quality. Even if the air seems to be clean, it may be polluted. Check the air quality index statistics for your zip code on a daily basis. It will advise you of the particle pollution levels and whether you should be concerned.
Get an Air Purifier – Outdoor air pollution is not the only factor to consider. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend 90 percent of their lives inside, where pollution levels are two to five times greater than outside. This issue may be resolved by acquiring air purifiers for your house. These devices eliminate smoke, allergies, mould, and bacteria from the air, creating a healthier environment for you and your child.
Protect Your Air – When you cook, use hairspray, paint, or have a house fire, you introduce pollutants into the air. Utilize natural household cleaners, cook with a vent hood, do frequent mould inspections, and install carbon monoxide detectors to provide a healthy environment.
Stay Inside – The skin is the largest organ in the body, absorbing 60–100% of everything comes into contact with it. Everything a pregnant woman ingests, inhales, or comes in touch with has an impact on her unborn child. Even if you are wearing a gas mask, external air pollution, such as particles, will have an effect on your skin. If the weather forecast predicts outdoor air pollution, you should stay indoors with your air purifiers running.
Get Air-Purifying Plants – Plants may filter the air naturally, enabling you and your baby to breathe better air. Certain species of spider and snake plant remove volatile chemical compounds from the air and exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. Obtain one plant per 100 square feet to purify the air.

Pregnancy is a balancing act. Although numerous factors might affect your and your child’s health, air pollution is something you can learn to prevent. Utilize these safety measures to protect your infant and loved ones.Pregnancy is a balancing act. Although numerous factors might affect your and your child’s health, air pollution is something you can learn to prevent. Utilize these safety measures to protect your infant and loved ones.