In 2008, after a crackdown on vehicular/industrial pollution to clean up Beijing's air in the run-up to the Olympics, Chinese officials found the average birth weight of newborns improved. While studies in the US and the UK showed a link among air pollution, preterm and stillbirths, similar research in India would help not only establish the link but also help formulate targeted policies.
In 2010, doctors at Sri Ramachandra University fixed air pollution monitors at houses of 1,200 pregnant women in Chennai (urban), Kancheepuram (rural) and Tiruvallur (semiurban) to measure air quality and monitored their health until delivery . They also followed up their babies for two years.
Scientists have so far not been able to accurately say how air pollution affects fetuses, but say exposure to fine particulate matter -particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter emitted by vehicles, factories and other industrial activities -can inflame the placenta during pregnancy and can lead to an early delivery, sometimes three weeks early.
Preterm births, which are on the rise, can cause development delays, breathing disorders, cerebral palsy and increase infant mortality risk, said former director of public health Dr S Elango. "We have so far assumed malnourishment and lack of access to healthcare are key reasons for poor maternal and child health outcomes... but they are not all. It is now important to look at broader reasons like air pollution."
If results of the study -expected by year-end prove what scientists across the world have found, policy makers will have specific information to bring in law programmes for better maternal and child health, said environmental health expert Dr KalpanaBalakrishnan, who heads the Indian Council of Medical Research-funded study.
"When we planned the study, we decided it should be a research that can investigate and establish a link between air pollution and maternal health. We decided that we will not look at existing data because it could limit interpretations. So we decided we do a prospective study, where we study and monitor pregnant women and their children. Almost all women studied were identified within 12 weeks of pregnancy," she said.
Researchers found pregnant women, apart from eight hours of sleep, spent 7-8 hours in the kitchen/living room."So, we decided to measure air quality in homes," said Dr Balakrishnan.
In rural and semi-urban areas, indoor pollution was due to biomass used for cooking -up to 50% of households didn't use LPG stoves -but in urban areas pollution was due to vehicles or burning of municipalgardenwaste.The team is now analysing data on environmental pollution, health of mothers and babies and hopes it will be published in a medical journal.
