In the last post we looked at the current findings about air quality in the U.S. Timely info since information from a new study was just published this week relating that air pollution may lead to smaller babies. The piece, which is available online and is soon to be published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, notes that “Ambient air pollution, perhaps specifically traffic emissions during early and late pregnancy and/or factors associated with residence near a roadway during pregnancy, may affect fetal growth.”

Uh oh. Air pollution not cool. Small babies not ok. Yeah, it’s an issue. What …read more

A recent study by the University of Washington reported in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that women living in areas with high levels of air pollution are more likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease than are their clean-breathing counterparts.
The researchers studied levels of fine particulate matter, which are tiny airborne particles of soot or dust, and can come from a variety of sources, like vehicle exhaust, coal-fired power plants, industrial sources, and wood-burning fireplaces. These particles are less than 2.5 microns in diameter — about 30 to 40 of them would equal the diameter of a …read more