Millions of people die every year as a result of air pollution, which affects over 90% of the world's population.
The lungs, brains, and livers of even unborn children have been found to contain hazardous air particles, according to a recent disturbing discovery. The study was published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal.
Mothers who did not smoke participated in the trial, which was carried out in Scotland and Belgium in areas with minimal air pollution. In total, 36 foetuses with gestation ranging from seven to twenty weeks were investigated in Scotland as part of the study.
Numerous black carbon particles, which were ingested by the women throughout their pregnancies and subsequently transferred to the foetus through the bloodstream, were discovered in cubic millimetres of tissue.
Prof Tim Nawrot, who co-led the study, said that “air quality regulation should recognise this [air pollution] transfer during gestation and act to protect the most susceptible stages of human development,”.
It is previously established that air pollution may contribute to an increase in miscarriages, preterm births, and low birth weights in children. Tiny soot particles from the combustion of fossil fuels in buildings, automobiles, and even factories make up the particles.
According to a scientist from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, this study demonstrates how black carbon nanoparticles infiltrate not only the placenta during the first and second trimesters, but also the developing organs of the foetus.
The professor advised people to stay away from congested roadways and that governments are in charge of reducing air pollution. In 2019, a thorough international analysis revealed that air pollution may harm all of the body’s cells and organs.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
