Women exposed to air pollution just prior to conception or during the first month of pregnancy face an increased risk of their children being born with birth defects, such as cleft lip or palate or abnormal hearts.
Women exposed to air pollution just prior to conception or during the first month of pregnancy face an increased risk of their children being born with birth defects, such as cleft lip or palate or abnormal hearts.
Although the increased risk is modest, the potential impact on a population basis is noteworthy because all pregnant women have some amount of exposure.
“The most susceptible time of exposure appears to be the one month before and after conception,” says Emily DeFranco, DO, a physician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and senior author of the study. “Public health efforts should continue to highlight the importance of minimizing population-level exposure to harmful particulate matter in the air.”
Read more at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
