Different studies had already linked gestational diabetes and preeclampsia with high levels of contaminants during pregnancy.
Now a new study, published in the journal 'Annals of Epidemiology', explains that Newborns whose mothers have been exposed to high levels of contamination a week before delivery have a higher risk of being admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), according to a study conducted by American researchers and has been published.
In Babies and more Pollution during pregnancy alters the size of the baby's main organsAssociation between contamination and problems in pregnancy
Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver in the United States wanted to find out why they had increased income at the NICU.
Different studies had already shown the association between air pollution and pregnancy complications, such as the risk of premature delivery, low-weight babies or intrauterine growth retardation.
But the relationship between prenatal exposure to air pollution and admission to the NICU had not been investigated.
So the study 'Exposure to acute air pollution and admission to the NICU: a cross-analysis of cases', analyzed data from more than 223,000 births in 12 health centers in the United States from 2002 to 2008.
They compared the air quality data in the area where each birth occurred the week before birth, the day before delivery, and the day of delivery. They later compared these time intervals with the air quality data two weeks before delivery and two weeks after delivery to identify whether there is a relationship between contamination levels and the risk of admission to the NICU.
In Babies and more Traffic pollution affects children's cognitive developmentThe study also examined the chances of admission to the ICU associated with high concentrations of particles (contamination particles) of less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5).
These types of particles come from diesel and gasoline engines, power plants, landfills, sewage facilities and industrial processes.
In this way, they verified that exposure to high concentrations of organic compounds in the air was associated with a 147 percent increase in the risk of admission of a newly to the ICU.
The researchers also verified that the number of admissions of newborns in the ICU increased significantly when the mother had been exposed to traffic the day before and the day of delivery, compared to an exposure the week before delivery.
Given these conclusions, better protect against contamination at least the days before the expected date of delivery and if it can be throughout the pregnancy, much better.
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