Pollution Is Linked to Fetal Harm

February 17, 2005

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: February 16, 2005

By The Associated Press

Exposure to air pollution, even in the womb, may be linked to genetic

changes associated with an increased risk of cancer, researchers said

yesterday.

That finding, from a study done in New York City by scientists at

Columbia University, followed 60 newborns and their nonsmoking mothers

in low-income neighborhoods, primarily in Harlem and the Bronx.

Exposure to pollutants caused chiefly by vehicles was measured by

backpack air monitors worn by the women during the third trimester of

pregnancy.

When the babies were born, genetic alterations were measured.

Researchers found an increase of about 50 percent in the level of

persistent genetic abnormalities among infants with high levels of

exposure, said the study's senior author, Dr. Frederica P. Perera,

director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health.

" We already knew that air pollutants significantly reduced fetal

growth, but this is the first time we've seen evidence that they can

change chromosomes in utero, " Dr. Perera said, adding that the kind of

genetic changes that occurred had been linked in other studies to

increased risk of cancer.

While the researchers cannot estimate the precise increase in cancer

risk, she said, the findings underscore a need for government to take

steps to protect children.

The study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and

Prevention, is part of a multiyear research project started in 1998

that examines the effects of exposure of pregnant women and babies to

air pollutants, pesticides and tobacco smoking.

Recommended Posts