‘ Babies develop defects due to pollution’

Women exposed to air pollution during preconception period or one month after the conception have increased risk of delivering babies with birth defects suchas cleft lip or palate, abnormal hearts, according to a recent study.

The result came after studying the association between abnormalities at birth and the mother’s exposure to increased levels of fine particulate matter ( PM) in the air during pregnancy.

The 2017 study published in Journal of Pediatrics calculated the average exposures by linking the geographic coordinates of the mother’s residence for each birth with the nearest monitoring station.

The birth certificate data was used from the Ohio Department of Health and PM data from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 57 monitoring stations throughout Ohio to study the impact of air pollutants on children’s development.

Dr S. P. Byotra, HoD, internal medicine, SGRH, said, “In urban areas, it is poor ventilation, dust, mites, pollens among others that make the air quality extremely unhealthy for breathing.”

“Children, pregnant women, elderly and people with respiratory problems suffer the most due to it. The good air quality inside can be maintained by planting indoor plants, using air purifiers and other methods,” he said.

Mr A. Chabra, India Head, Blueair, said, Considering the fact the mother spends 90 per cent of her time indoor, which is more polluted than the outside air.”