Air pollution exposure in second trimester may increase asthma risk in children

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-05/ats-ape051214.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 19-May-2014
Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
American Thoracic Society
Air pollution exposure in second trimester may increase asthma risk in children

ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ Children who are exposed in utero to high levels of particulate air pollution during the second trimester of pregnancy may be at greater risk of developing asthma in early childhood, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

"We know that mothers' exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can affect lung development of their babies and lead to subsequent respiratory disorders, including asthma, although little is known about whether timing of the exposure is important to consider," said lead author Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda Chiu, ScD, from the Department of Pediatrics at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. "In our study, we assessed whether higher exposure to particulate air pollution at more specific time windows in pregnancy were particularly linked to higher asthma risk in urban children."

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