(NaturalPath) According to a study conducted by the University of British Columbia, babies born to mothers exposed to air pollution from traffic during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing asthma before the age of six.
“Our study results highlight the danger of exposure to pollution while babies are still in the womb.” One researcher said. “Air pollution from traffic sources increased the risk of developing asthma during early years before children reach school age, even in an urban area like Vancouver with relatively low levels of air pollution.”
The study sample included more than 65,000 children from Metro Vancouver, following them from birth to age 10. The measurements focused mainly on traffic-related pollutants, including black carbon, fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and nitric oxide.
The results included that those children whose mothers lived close to highways during pregnancy had a 25 percent increased relative risk of developing asthma before the age of five. The researchers accounted for other factors such as low birth weight at term, gestational period, breastfeeding, and socio-economic factors.
For more information, read the full study.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160209105405.htm
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
