ATLANTA — Pregnant women are often paranoid about their pregnancies. Now a study released this week gives them something else to watch out for.
That study linked pregnant women’s exposure to smog and air pollution to lower IQ in their babies. How concerned pregnant women should be?
Mary Hadley Ozburn is 36 weeks pregnant with her third child — her second boy. Both she and the baby are ready.
“You wanted this baby out since, what, 32 weeks?, asked her OB/GYN Dr. Michael Randell.
“Yeah!” she confirmed.
As anxious as they both may be, they will not be received into an entirely welcoming environment.
“The study’s interesting,” said Dr. Randell. “I think it supports other data that has come out showing that pollution can affect developing fetuses.”
There’s a growing number of studies that link exposure to smog in pregnant women and slowed development in their babies.
“Sure it makes sensen” Dr. Randell said. “Pollutants are brought in through the lungs. From the lungs it goes to the bloodstream…cross the placenta. And then the baby’s exposed to it.”
Mary Hadley Ozburn has heard about this study. She’s concerned — a bit.
“I might take a few more precautions being pregnant”, she said, “but certainly I wouldn’t change a lot about the way I live my life.”
For Randell, this study is one more item to add to the list of things to watch out for.
“If,” Randell said, “you are in an environment where you are near a lot of exhaust from automobiles for example, that’s something that you’d probably want to change, while you’re pregnant.”
Randell would not advise a pregnant woman to wear a surgical mask when outside. He says there is no evidence that a surgical mask is effective in blocking smog from entering the lungs.
This particular study did not have the rigorous controls that some do. Still, in concert with other studies, doctor Randell says it’s at least worth doctors and their patients talking about it.
Maybe after that conversation Mary Hadley Ozburn’s baby wouldn’t be quite so anxious.
Related reading:
Kids’ Lower IQ Scores Linked to Prenatal Pollution
Tagged as:
air pollution,
automobiles exhaust,
babies,
developing fetuses,
lower IQ,
pregnant,
smog
“I’m a Product Design student in New Zealand and I’m currently looking into the issue of Respiratory Safety for exercising outdoors in Urban areas. To find a solution I need to find out as much as possible from those of you who feel affected/concerned by the issue. I will be designing a system or product that hopefully appeals to users and improves respiratory safety and performance but I need to know your thoughts/wants/needs/don’t wants in a product!! If you’ve got a bit of time it would be great if you could answer the following survey to help my research along! ”
Erika Hansen testing a respirator running
Erika Hansen, a Industrial design student from New Zealand posted a survey regarding respiratory protection in outdoor sports to many cycling forums like Melbourne Cyclist , Bike Radar, Vorb and others. Her questionnaire must have traveled around the world multiple loops and helped her uncovered many useful insights.
I was curious and asked Erika if she would mind sharing her research. Erika is very kind and forwarded her research synopsis to share with all.
Erika Hansen-research synopsis
The measured mean tropospheric NO2 for 2008 as measured with the satellite instrument SCIAMACHY. Hotspots on these world map are the industrialised area in Europe, China, the USA and South-Africa. A lot of other mega-cities can also be found as a localised spot with enhanced NO2 concentrations.
Tagged as:
cycling forums,
Erika Hansen,
outdoor sport,
respirator
A big thanks to Ross for providing his first hand experience with the SuperCool mask. You can follow Ross at twitter
Ross X, the "dude-on-a-bike"
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The SuperCool mask is great–hands down. I don’t work for Totobobo–nor am I paid to say this, and I’ve been using this mask for a few months now. I first started with the
original one that covered the nose and mouth. I liked the simplicity and that I could
easily wash the mask–but as a glasses-wearing cyclist, my glasses seemed to fog up when stopped at red lights or slowed down (at higher speeds the breath exhaust seemed to present less of a glasses-fogging problem). This was a problem.
But when I wrote to the company informing of my problem they were willing to offer a few suggestions. One was to try cutting the mask to better fit my head, but the other was about this new version that only covers your mouth. I gave it a try.
That I am no longer exhaling into the mask, the fogging glasses issue has completely disappeared. (I breathe in through my mouth, which is in the mask/filter, and out through my nose.) Actually, I think I get a better seal with this smaller mask than I did the full one. And I find there is much less condensation collecting in the mask (no humid exhale within the mask), which means I do not need to wash the mask as often. This may also have a positive impact on the filters (keeping them drier), but I’m not a scientist, so I can’t credibly comment on that.
Pulling down the mask to talk to other cyclists is also very easy with this mask. You can talk through the mask, but you might sound a little like Darth Vader, so I simply pull the mask down around my chin if I want to talk, then pull it back up when I ride on. The side straps are very stretchy.
I also have a mask by another company–it’s neoprene and velcros in the back. I haven’t really tried this mask extensively due to a few reasons: 1. it looks like it would tend to get hot in the summer days here in Los Angeles–as it covers a lot of skin on your face and neck essentially with a wetsuit, 2. the metal nose bracket, which I thought would be beneficial to get a good seal, seemed to irritate my nose, and 3. the Totobobo is just so light and easy to use I just haven’t had a compelling urge to try another mask.
Big props to the company–who has seemed to design a great, simple product–and whose customer service has been very responsive and helpful. When I change out the filters they are visibly discolored–and I’m glad that at least some of that stuff that I otherwise would be breathing (dirt, pollution, particulate matter, brake shoe dust, etc.) is in the filter instead of in my lungs.
Ross, the dudeonabike
Tagged as:
fogging,
Ross
