Study links particulate pollution to low birth weight

Study links particulate pollution to low birth weight

By Kerry Cavanaugh
Staff Writer

Bolstering concerns about the health hazards of pollution, a study published Monday said babies born in California cities with the dirtiest air weigh less than those born in cleaner communities.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, joins a growing body of research about the dangers of fine particulate matter -- a microscopic form of soot that has already been linked to increased emergency room visits, more heart attacks and decreased lung function in children.

The findings hit home in Los Angeles, which, along with the Central Valley, has the nation's highest levels of fine particulate matter.

"Here is another reason, another alarm bell for regulators that should spur action; it's our babies who are suffering," said Nidia Bautista of the Coalition for Clean Air, which has pushed for tougher pollution limits on diesel equipment at ports and programs to clean up trucks and train.

Fine particulate matter is made up of microscopic specks and liquid droplets formed from vehicle exhaust, soot from diesel combustion and wood-burning fireplaces, and chemicals from industrial smokestacks.

The bits can carry toxic contaminants into the body and lodge deep in the lungs.

In their study of 18,000 babies born in California in 2000, researchers analyzed the birth weight and level of fine particulate matter pollution near the mother's residence in the preceding nine months.

They found that babies born to mothers in the most polluted areas consistently weighed less -- about 1 ounce less -- than babies born to mothers who lived in clean-air cities.

"You're taking every baby and shifting them down an ounce; that additional ounce could be a big issue for them," said Tracey Woodruff, a senior scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's office of policy and economic innovation, which organized the research.

Researchers could not determine how newborns might be affected by soot, whether the mother's worsened health impacts the baby or whether the pollution is getting directly to the fetus.

A 1-ounce difference doesn't sound like much, and it might not mean much to an individual baby, study authors said. But lower birth weight can be a sign of other health problems in a newborn, and researchers might next turn their attention to studying potential long-term health effects.

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