A new study by University of California scientists finds exposure to local traffic-generated pollution increases a pregnant woman’s risk of developing preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) and/or having a premature baby.

The study focused on a review of over 81,000 medical records that documented births in the Long Beach/Orange County area between 1997 and 2006. Having built a database capable of estimating what the pregnant women breathed within the three kilometres of their homes, the researchers examined the records to determine where the highest numbers of premature births and preeclampsia occurred.

Correlating the database with birth records showed that living in an area with the highest levels of car and truck emissions increased the risk of a pregnant women having a “very preterm delivery” (when the fetus was less than 30 weeks old) by 128 percent. Furthermore, living in this high-risk area also appeared to increase the risk of developing preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) by as much as 42 percent.

The study’s lead author, Jun Wu, an assistant professor of epidemiology at UC Irvine, said results like this indicate the importance of doctors making their pregnant patients aware of these issues so that they can take can reduce the risk as much as possible with precautions such as closing their windows at home and when in the car.

Study abstract

Image: Caveman 92223

The post Southern California’s Toxic Car Emissions Associated with Premature Births appeared first on EcoSalon.