Pregnant women who live near busy intersections are more likely to give birth prematurely, according to a new study published in the online journal Environmental Health.
Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia studied 970 mothers, counting the roads within a 500-meter radius of their homes, and then compared the number of roads with the length of their pregnancies.
"The most striking result was the reduction in gestation time of 4.4 per cent or almost two weeks associated with an increase in freeways within 400 meters of the women’s home," explained lead researcher Adrian Barnett.
Barnett suggests that both air and noise pollution could be contributing factors. An earlier study by Barnett linked air pollution to smaller fetus size, and he further hypothesizes that the noise from the traffic could be interfering with sleep patterns and causing higher levels of stress in the expectant mother.
"This study points to the fact that pregnant women should reduce their exposure to traffic. A reduction in traffic emissions through improved vehicles or increased public transport use would have immediate health benefits by giving children a better start to life," he concludes.