Xinhua News Agency, Jerusalem, March 20 (Reporter Wang Zhuolun Shanghao) A new Israeli study found that newborns born in areas with severe air pollution have a 25% increased risk of low birth weight.
The research paper was recently published in the American Journal of Environmental Research.
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Israel and other institutions analyzed data on nearly 224,000 women and more than 381,000 newborns born in the country between 2004 and 2015, using satellite data from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. information on the concentration of air pollutants per square kilometer for a single day.
The study found a clear link between maternal exposure to air pollution and low birth weight, with babies born in areas with high air pollution having a 25% increased risk of low birth weight.
Hebrew University epidemiologist Hagay Levin, a member of the research team, told local media that the study was a rare assessment of the effects of air pollution on fetuses.
Many air pollution-related health problems take a long time to manifest, but the association with newborn weight can be quickly compared.
Levin said that low birth weight is an important indicator of potential health problems in adulthood, and policymakers should conduct relevant research on a larger scale and pay sufficient attention to health in the early stages of life.