Air pollution linked to birth weight

Infants born to women in urban areas are likely to have a higher birth weight than those born in more rural areas due to prenatal exposure to air pollutants, according to a new study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Researchers at the University of Granada in Spain examined two groups of pregnant women. The first group lived in urban Madrid and had a medium to high level of education; 89 percent of the women were employed in administration or education. The second group resided in rural areas in the province of Granada; these women had a low education level and 38.3 percent worked exclusively in the home.

The researchers found that the women living in urban Madrid were more likely to give birth to larger infants, which they attribute to air pollution exposure. These women had a higher concentration of xenoestrogens – environmental pollutants that act on the body like hormones – in the placenta.

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