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Even prenatal exposure to pollutants can destroy infant's lungs
Publish Date : 10/13/2004 1:11:00 AM Source : Onlypunjab.com Team

Children's prenatal exposure to pollutants such as motor vehicle exhaust, and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) after birth, increases their risk of asthma and may also damage their lungs.

In a new study published in the October issue of Chest, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, researchers from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health have shown that young children who are exposed to these pollutants may be significantly more likely to develop respiratory conditions at ages 12 and 24 months.

"A great deal of new evidence suggests that the respiratory system may be vulnerable to damage caused by inhaled environmental agents during the prenatal period," Rachel L. Miller, the study's lead author at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, part of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said.

Researchers studied over 300 expectant ladies and found that children exposed to pollutants before and after their birth are more likely to cough and wheeze at 12 months of age and experienced more difficulty breathing, as well as higher incidences of asthma symptoms, at 24 months of age.

These findings also suggest that the harmful effects on the lung develop after prolonged or later exposure to ETS.

"At this point we can only speculate how PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons )exposure, in conjunction with ETS, causes respiratory damage. One possibility is that PAHs, which easily reach the fetus and damage DNA, affect the child's developmental programming, which then leaves the child's airways at risk for future harm," Miller added.

While PAHs and ETS can harm boys as well as girls, the study found preliminary evidence that the combination more often leads to cough and wheeze in boys, possibly because boys tend to have smaller lungs, which may increase the risk for airway hyperactivity or inflammation-induced respiratory symptoms.

"The congestion and pollution found in most large cities can compromise the respiratory health of children in these areas.This study reinforces the importance of society doing a better job protecting the health of children living in inner-cities, even before they are born," said Richard S. Irwin, President of the American College of Chest Physicians.

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