London - Air pollution starts to harm a child in the womb, a report warns.
Smog from busy roads and toxins from industrial emissions were linked to premature births, stillbirth, miscarriage, low birth weight and organ damage, the authors said.
They warned that pollutants breathed by the mother, could cross through the placenta to the baby, damaging lung and kidney development and increasing the chance of asthma and diabetes in later life.
Toxins inhaled by the mother could alter the growing child’s DNA, changing the way genes were regulated and affecting the development of organs, they added.
“The developing heart, lung, brain, hormone systems and immunity can all be harmed by pollution,” they wrote.
“Environmental effects on the embryo, foetus, baby and toddler may last a lifetime, but may take years or even decades to become apparent.”
Daily Mail