Life

Ask The Expert: Could living beside a busy road harm my unborn baby?

A respiratory expert explains carbon from traffic fumes has been found in placentas, but it's not yet known how this affects babies in the womb

Could pollution from nearby traffic be dangerous for pregnant women?
Could pollution from nearby traffic be dangerous for pregnant women? Could pollution from nearby traffic be dangerous for pregnant women?

Q: WE LIVE on a busy road and I've just found out I'm pregnant. Could the pollution from the traffic affect my baby, and if so is there anything I can do about it, other than move house?

A: Consultant paediatrician Jonathan Grigg, a professor of paediatric respiratory and environmental medicine at Queen Mary University of London, recently led a study into inhaled particulate matter from air pollution.

He says: "Our study found little black specks in cells from placentas which looked like particles which are emitted by diesel cars and vans. We found these particles consist of carbon and metals such as iron, which means they must have been inhaled. But we don't know whether particles lodging in the placenta alters the function of cells that are important to the developing foetus.

"Although there are papers reporting that air pollution is associated with low birthweight born at term, the evidence remains conflicting. For women living near or on a main road, any effects for healthy mothers are probably quite small – certainly much smaller than smoking cigarettes.

"Given the research evidence, I wouldn't recommend moving home to reduce adverse effects on the foetus. In fact, it's difficult to give pollution avoidance advice to pregnant women, apart from general advice such as be aware of potential hotspots around very busy road junctions (of course if you live on a main road there's not much you can do about this).

"Walk and use public transport where possible, since you get much higher exposure in cars due to exhaust fumes being sucked into the car.

"This is a much different situation compared to the effect of air pollution on children's and adults' lungs where it's very clear air pollution has a range of adverse effects. Overall we need to reduce emissions from all roads so all of us are exposed to less air pollution"