Pregnancy tips Traffic Fumes May Affect Baby's Birthweight

If you live or work near heavy traffic, you may want to limit your exposure to traffic fumes as much as possible. According to the article below, traffic fumes can affect your baby's birthweight. Read more:

Fine Particulate Matter From Traffic May Influence Birth Weight
Science Daily

From the article:


The proportion of newborns with a birth weight below 3,000 grams increased with increasing concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2,5) during pregnancy. A similar association was observed between the absorbance of fine particulate matter and birth weight. The absorbance of particulate matter is considered to be a marker of the particles originating from traffic, and in particular from diesel vehicles.

Earlier American Studies had already suggested that fine particulate matter might influence the birth weight. This recent study is the first study from Germany and Western Europe and also the first one to suggest so clearly that traffic-related air pollutants have an influence.