Air pollution is responsible for 3% of premature births, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Researchers at New York Langone Medical Center (US) looked at data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Institute of Medicine. Investigators calculated the average air pollution exposure and the number of preterm births by county. They then estimated the long-term health consequences of premature births, such as early death, decreased IQ, absence from work, and poor overall health.
Air pollution, a risk factor for prematurity
Statistical estimates developed by the researchers attribute just over 3% of premature births to air pollution. An annual cost of 4.3 billion dollars (3.8 billion euros).
“Air pollution comes with a huge cost, not only in terms of human life, but also in terms of the economic burden associated with society,” said study principal investigator Leonardo Trasande, professor at NYU Langone. “It is also important to note that this burden is preventable, and can be reduced by limiting emissions from automobiles and coal-fired power plants.”
In view of these alarming results, the researchers plan to conduct further research on the role of pollutants and understand which stages of pregnancy are more sensitive to their negative effects, including the risks of heart disease and pulmonary.
In France, prematurity concerns 50,000 births per year and this phenomenon is increasing. “The frequency of prematurity has increased by 15% over the past ten years,” explains Premup, the Foundation for Scientific Cooperation on Pregnancy and Prematurity.
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Air pollution kills more than 5 million people every year