Serious air pollution can cause birth defects, death

In a comprehensive study, researchers at Texas A & M University determined that harmful particles in the atmosphere could cause birth defects, or even death during pregnancy, using the animal model.

The Texas A & M, Texas A & M Health Science Center and colleagues at the University of California at San Diego's agriculture and life sciences and geoscience research teams have seen results published in the current issue of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

Using female rats, the team examined the adverse health effects of exposure to fine particles of ammonium sulfate that are commonly found in many parts of the world. . Large fractions of this substance have been detected not only in Asia, but also in Houston (51%) and Los Angeles (31%).

During the winter months in China and India, where haze events frequently occur, fine particle concentrations were particularly high, at several hundred micrograms per cubic meter, the team concluded.

Air pollution is a century old problem for much of the world. According to the World Health Organization, 9 out of 10 people in the world breathe air containing many pollutants, and 1 in 9 deaths worldwide can be attributed to exposure to pollution more than 7 million premature deaths a year.

Even in the United States, about one third of the population still lives in poor air quality, according to a report released by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2018.

"People generally believe that ammonium sulphate may not be very toxic, but our results show significant effects on pregnant rats," said Renyi Zhang, professor emeritus of science A & M in Texas and Holder of the Harold J. Haynes Chair in Geoscience. I said. "We do not know yet what causes these profound effects, but we badume that the size of the nanoparticles or even the acidity could be the cause."

Zhang added that sulphate is mainly produced from coal, a major source of energy in most developed and developing countries. Ammonium is derived from ammonia, which is produced from emissions from agriculture, the automobile and animals. "So it certainly represents a major problem in the world," Zhang said.

"However, our results show that prenatal exposure to air pollution is not likely to eliminate obese children in adulthood," said Guoyao Wu, distinguished professor of the University. A & M Texas and one of the leading authors of the study. "Nutrition and lifestyle are probably major factors contributing to the current obesity epidemic in the world."

Many previous studies have shown that air pollution is a serious threat to public health worldwide, millions of people breathe air, which is significantly below the standards set by the United States. World Health Organization.

In addition, previous studies have shown that such pollution alters the metabolic and immune systems in animals, but the team's studies show irrefutable evidence of declining fetal survival rates, as well as shortened pregnancy rates that may result in lower body weight, in addition to damage to animals. brains, hearts, and other organs in adult rat models.

The findings present obvious concerns and challenges on many levels, the team concludes.

"Although epidemiological studies have been widely adopted to evaluate the effects of air pollution on health, they tend to give little information on adverse consequences and long-term effects", Zhang said.

"In addition, there are no clinical recommendations for the prevention and treatment of health problems related to air pollution.Our study has shown that exposure experiments well controlled using animal models offer major benefits for future control of air pollution and are promising for the development of therapeutic intervention and treatment procedures ".