Nitrogen oxide pollution, created during the combustion of fossil fuels, tends to be elevated in areas with a lot of industrial activity and vehicle traffic. These reactive gases contribute to acid rain, smog, and ground-level ozone. For some time now, the public health community has linked nitrogen oxide exposure to respiratory ailments, like asthma.
A recent study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives gives us another reason to strive for lower emissions: exposure is linked to pregnancy complications. An investigation of more than 80,000 mothers living in southern Sweden found that a mother’s likelihood of developing gestational diabetes or preeclampsia increased when exposed to elevated levels of nitrogen oxide pollution.
The study’s authors ascertained nitrogen oxide exposure using emissions data, meteorological data, and road traffic data from the Swedish National Road Database. This information was then correlated with where mothers resided, giving special attention to proximity to heavily traveled roads.
Gestational diabetes was more common in urban mothers, with data suggesting an association between the condition and high traffic areas. But its incidence increased in all populations of mothers – from urban to rural – when nitrogen oxide levels were elevated.
Perhaps most concerning: the study took place in a region of Sweden with relatively low air pollution. Average ambient levels of nitrogen oxides were well below standards set by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Consider the study just one more piece of evidence indicating that future generations would benefit greatly from a shift away from fossil fuels.
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Web Links
When Blood Meets Nitrogen Oxides: Pregnancy Complications and Air Pollution Exposure
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a136/
Photo, taken on April 7, 2008, courtesy of Sabianmaggy via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.