Pregnant mothers exposed to particulate matters may experience damage to the developing cardiovascular system in their foetuses, finds a study.
Exposures to these microscopic materials early in thegestation period significantly impact foetal heart development, especially themain artery and the umbilical vein.
A single exposure during the third trimester could restrictmaternal and foetal blood flow, resulting in further consequences throughoutthe child’s adulthood, the study said.
Late exposures mostly impact the foetal size as it restrictsblood flow from the mother and deprives the foetus of nutrients in the finalstages.
“Pregnant women should also consider monitoring their indoorair quality,” said Phoebe Stapleton, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University.
What a mother inhales affects her circulatory system, whichis constantly adapting to supply adequate blood flow to the fetus as it grows.
“These findings suggest that pregnant women, women ofchild-bearing age and those undergoing fertility treatments should avoid areaswith high air pollution or stay indoors on high-smog days,” said Stapleton.
Air pollution exposure constricts blood vessels, restrictsblood flow to the uterus and deprives the foetus of oxygen and nutrients,resulting in delayed growth and development.
It can also lead to common pregnancy complications, such asintrauterine growth restriction, he explained.
The study, published in the journal CardiovascularToxicology, looked at how the circulatory systems of pregnant rats’ foetuses ona single exposure to nanosized titanium dioxide aerosols — a surrogate forparticles found in typical air pollution — during their first, second andthird trimesters.
The results were compared to pregnant rats that were exposedto high-efficiency filtered air.
In non-pregnant animals, even a single exposure to these nanoparticles was linked to impaired function of the arteries in the uterus.
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