Pollution harms foetuses: study - fetuses

[Guest guest]

In the US, need we wonder who benefits when the EPA decrees that

California and other states shall not adopt more stringent regulations

against pollution from vehicles? Amidst the blessed sanctity known as

The Economy - fetal and infant wellness is a low priority. A clean-air

item follows the polluting-fetuses article.

- - - -

Pollution harms foetuses: study

Kate Benson Medical Reporter

January 8, 2008

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/pollution-harms-foetuses-study/2008/01/07/11\

99554571559.html

FOETUSES exposed to high levels of air pollution, such as traffic fumes,

are significantly smaller and can have lower intelligence and more

cardiovascular problems than babies in country areas, a world-first

study has found.

Researchers in Brisbane studied ultrasound scans from more than 15,000

foetuses during a 10-year period and found that women living in

postcodes with high levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and

particulate matter in the air had babies with shorter femur bones and

smaller head and abdominal circumferences.

Nitrogen dioxide is usually produced by kerosene heaters, unvented gas

stoves, heaters and passive smoking, while sulphur dioxide comes from

diesel-powered vehicles and some industrial processes, such as

fertiliser manufacturing, aluminium smelting and steel making.

Particulate matter is found in car-exhaust fumes.

A senior research fellow at the Queensland University of Technology and

co-author of the study, Barnett, said yesterday the research was

the first of its kind to use ultrasound measurement as a direct estimate

of growth, rather than birth weight as a delayed measure of growth.

He said only foetuses between 13 and 26 weeks gestation in women who

lived within two kilometres of a pollution monitoring station were

included in the study, published in the international journal

Environmental Health Perspectives.

" When analysing scans from women at different distances to monitoring

sites, we found that there was a negative relationship between

pollutants such as sulphur dioxide found in diesel emissions, and

ultrasound measurement, " Dr Barnett said.

" If the pollution levels were high, the size of the foetus decreased

significantly. "

Dr Barnett said with research showing that bigger babies were healthier

in childhood and adulthood, foetus size during pregnancy was important.

" Birth weight is a major predictor of later health; for example, bigger

babies have been shown to have higher IQs in childhood and lower risk of

cardiovascular disease in adulthood, " he said.

" What happens when you're a foetus can have major implications for the

rest of your life. "

Dr Barnett said it was wise for pregnant women to reduce their exposure

to air pollution by not walking along busy roads, not riding motor

scooters or motorcycles and limiting the time spent waiting in traffic.

" On a practical level it can be difficult to reduce your exposure to air

pollution, but the less exposure a pregnant woman has, the better off

their baby will be. "

- - - -

*Environmental Groups are teaming up to make sure that the EPA does its

job.*

You can help! Tell Administrator that the EPA's job is NOT to

limit environmental progress! >> <http://go.care2.com/e/XzoM/su1g/k.jp>

Environmental Defense and four other nonprofit groups filed a lawsuit on

Wednesday to overturn the decision made by the EPA denying California's

request to implement a landmark law limiting global warming pollution

from new automobiles.

The State of California has also filed its own legal challenge to EPA's

decision in the same court. It is expected that 15 states will

immediately file a motion to intervene in support of California.

This is an outrage. Please join Environmental Defense, other nonprofit

organizations and fellow concerned Americans like me in calling

Administrator on his blunder.

<http://go.care2.com/e/XzoM/su1g/k.jp>

Sincerely,

Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

*

The material in this post is distributed without

profit to those who have expressed a prior interest

in receiving the included information for research

and educational purposes.For more information go to:

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html

http://oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this

email for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you

must obtain permission from the copyright owner*.*

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Pollution harms foetuses: study - fetuses

In the US, need we wonder who benefits when the EPA decrees that

California and other states shall not adopt more stringent regulations

against pollution from vehicles? Amidst the blessed sanctity known as

The Economy - fetal and infant wellness is a low priority. A clean-air

item follows the polluting-fetuses article.

- - - -

Pollution harms foetuses: study

Kate Benson Medical Reporter

January 8, 2008

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/pollution-harms-foetuses-study/2008/01/07/11\

99554571559.html

FOETUSES exposed to high levels of air pollution, such as traffic fumes,

are significantly smaller and can have lower intelligence and more

cardiovascular problems than babies in country areas, a world-first

study has found.

Researchers in Brisbane studied ultrasound scans from more than 15,000

foetuses during a 10-year period and found that women living in

postcodes with high levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and

particulate matter in the air had babies with shorter femur bones and

smaller head and abdominal circumferences.

Nitrogen dioxide is usually produced by kerosene heaters, unvented gas

stoves, heaters and passive smoking, while sulphur dioxide comes from

diesel-powered vehicles and some industrial processes, such as

fertiliser manufacturing, aluminium smelting and steel making.

Particulate matter is found in car-exhaust fumes.

A senior research fellow at the Queensland University of Technology and

co-author of the study, Barnett, said yesterday the research was

the first of its kind to use ultrasound measurement as a direct estimate

of growth, rather than birth weight as a delayed measure of growth.

He said only foetuses between 13 and 26 weeks gestation in women who

lived within two kilometres of a pollution monitoring station were

included in the study, published in the international journal

Environmental Health Perspectives.

" When analysing scans from women at different distances to monitoring

sites, we found that there was a negative relationship between

pollutants such as sulphur dioxide found in diesel emissions, and

ultrasound measurement, " Dr Barnett said.

" If the pollution levels were high, the size of the foetus decreased

significantly. "

Dr Barnett said with research showing that bigger babies were healthier

in childhood and adulthood, foetus size during pregnancy was important.

" Birth weight is a major predictor of later health; for example, bigger

babies have been shown to have higher IQs in childhood and lower risk of

cardiovascular disease in adulthood, " he said.

" What happens when you're a foetus can have major implications for the

rest of your life. "

Dr Barnett said it was wise for pregnant women to reduce their exposure

to air pollution by not walking along busy roads, not riding motor

scooters or motorcycles and limiting the time spent waiting in traffic.

" On a practical level it can be difficult to reduce your exposure to air

pollution, but the less exposure a pregnant woman has, the better off

their baby will be. "

- - - -

*Environmental Groups are teaming up to make sure that the EPA does its

job.*

You can help! Tell Administrator that the EPA's job is NOT to

limit environmental progress! >> <http://go.care2.com/e/XzoM/su1g/k.jp>

Environmental Defense and four other nonprofit groups filed a lawsuit on

Wednesday to overturn the decision made by the EPA denying California's

request to implement a landmark law limiting global warming pollution

from new automobiles.

The State of California has also filed its own legal challenge to EPA's

decision in the same court. It is expected that 15 states will

immediately file a motion to intervene in support of California.

This is an outrage. Please join Environmental Defense, other nonprofit

organizations and fellow concerned Americans like me in calling

Administrator on his blunder.

<http://go.care2.com/e/XzoM/su1g/k.jp>

Sincerely,

Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

*

The material in this post is distributed without

profit to those who have expressed a prior interest

in receiving the included information for research

and educational purposes.For more information go to:

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html

http://oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this

email for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you

must obtain permission from the copyright owner*.*