EcoMall

AIR POLLUTION DAMAGES
BABIES IN WOMB

Babies' DNA can be damaged even before they are born if their mothers breathe polluted air, according to a study published on Tuesday.

"This is the first study to show that environmental exposures to specific combustion pollutants during pregnancy can result in chromosomal abnormalities in fetal tissues," said Kenneth Olden, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which funded the study.

"These findings may lead to new approaches for the prevention of certain cancers."

The team at the Columbia University Center for Children's Environmental Health in New York studied 60 newborns for the report, published in the February issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.

As part of a larger study, they monitored the babies' exposure to polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons, which are compounds produced by burning.

"Although the study was conducted in Manhattan neighborhoods, exhaust pollutants are prevalent in all urban areas, and therefore the study results are relevant to populations in other urban areas," said Dr. Frederica Perera, who led the study.

To determine exposure to pollution, the mothers filled out questionnaires and wore portable air monitors during the last three months of their pregnancies.

Women were rated as having high, moderate or low exposure based on average pollution levels for the group.

Then they tested the umbilical cord blood of the newborns, looking specifically at the chromosomes, which carry the DNA. Damage to chromosomes can cause cancer.

"We observed 4.7 chromosome abnormalities per thousand white blood cells in newborns from mothers in the low exposure group, and 7.2 abnormalities per thousand white blood cells in newborns from the high exposure mothers," Perera said in a statement.

The kind of damage to the chromosomes that they say was the the type that tends to linger, making people more susceptible to cancer.

Other studies have linked exposure to pollution with leukemia and other cancers.

"While we can't estimate the precise increase in cancer risk, these findings underscore the need for policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels to take appropriate steps to protect children from these avoidable exposures," Perera said.

Click below to e-mail this article to a friend
or to post a link on your favorite sites.
Thank you! Bookmark and Share

Written by: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

RELATED LINKS:


AIR PURIFICATION AROMATHERAPY BABIES
BEDDING BIRDING BODY CARE
BOOKS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS
CAMPING CATALOGUES CLASSIFIEDS
CLEANING PRODUCTS CLOTHING COMPUTER PRODUCTS
CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS CRAFTS
ECO KIDS ECO TRAVEL EDUCATION
ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENT HOMES ENGINEERING
FITNESS-YOGA FLOWERS FOODS
FOOTWEAR FURNITURE GARDEN
GIFTS HARDWARE HEMP
HERBS HOUSEHOLD INDUSTRY
INVESTMENTS JEWELRY LIGHTING
MAGAZINES MUSIC NATURAL HEALTH
NATURAL PEST CONTROL NEW AGE OFFICE
OUTDOORS PAPER PETS
PROMOTIONAL RESOURCES RECYCLED SAFE ENVIRONMENTS
SEEKING CAPITAL SHELTERS SOLAR-WIND
TOYS TRANSPORTATION VIDEOS
VITAMINS WATER WEATHER
WHOLESALE WOOD HOW TO ADVERTISE

 Green Living Magazine
Updated Daily!

* * * IN-HOUSE RESOURCES * * *
WHAT'S NEW ACTIVISM ALERTS DAILY ECO NEWS
LOCAL RESOURCES DATABASE ASK THE EXPERTS ECO CHAT
ECO FORUMS ARTICLES ECO QUOTES
INTERVIEWS & SPEECHES NON-PROFIT GROUPS ECO LINKS
KIDS LINKS RENEWABLE ENERGY GOVERNMENT/EDUCATION
VEGGIE RESTAURANTS ECO AUDIO/VIDEO EVENTS
COMMUNICATIONS WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ACCOLADES
AWARDS E-MAIL MAILING LIST

EcoMall