Prams expose babies to up to 60% more air pollution than adults

Prams expose babies to up to 60% more air pollution than adults

Babies in prams are exposed to up to 60% more air pollution than adults due to them being closer to vehicle exhaust fumes

  • Air in the first metre above the ground is usually the most polluted due to fumes
  • Babies’ prams typically sit between 0.55m and 0.85m above the pavement
  • Fine air particles weigh less than 0.0025mg and are given out in exhaust fumes
  • When inhaled, become deposited in the lungs where they enter the circulation
  • Can then damage a baby’s brain, hindering its cognitive function

Babies in prams are exposed to up to 60 per cent more air pollution than adults, new research suggests.

The air in the first metre above the ground is usually the most polluted due to it being level with vehicle exhaust fumes, the study found. 

Babies’ prams typically sit between 0.55m and 0.85m from the pavement, the research adds.

Fine air particles, which weigh less than 0.0025mg, are given out in vehicle exhaust fumes and, when breathed in, become deposited in the lungs where they enter the circulation. 

Such fumes can then damage babies’ brains, hindering their cognitive development, according to the researchers.

Babies in prams are exposed to up to 60 per cent more air pollution than adults (stock)


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IS AIR POLLUTION LINKED TO COT DEATH? 

Air pollution is linked to an increased risk of cot death, research suggested in April 2018.

Exposure to fine-air particles, which weigh less than 0.0025mg and are given out in vehicle-exhaust fumes, is associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a study found.

Nitrogen oxide, which is released when fuel is burned, may also be behind seemingly healthy babies suddenly passing away, the research adds.

Previous research suggests fine-air particles enter people’s brains when they breathe and spread via their bloodstreams, leading to inflammation.

Children are thought to be more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution due to their fragile immune systems and underdeveloped lungs.

According to the World Health Organization, air pollution causes more than 3.7 million premature deaths every year.

SIDS is the leading cause of death among healthy babies aged between one and 12 months.

The researchers, from the University of Birmingham, wrote: ‘Until policy reflects the growing evidence and responds to mounting public concern, it would appear to be the responsibility of individuals to take independent action to mitigate the effects of air pollution and protect the health of their young ones.’

They suggest babies should be kept indoors as much as possible to minimise their air pollution exposure.

For those who can afford it, the scientists also recommend using indoor air-cleaning systems. 

The researchers analysed SIDS mortality data from 1996-to-2006 in the West Midlands. This region was chosen due to it being heavily urbanised.

SIDS cases were linked to the babies’ postcodes.  

‘Infants breathe in higher amounts of airborne particles relative to their lung size’ 

The researchers, from the University of Surrey, analysed more than 160 studies investigating air pollution.

Professor Prashant Kumar, the founding director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research at the university, said: ‘We know that infants breathe in higher amounts of airborne particles relative to their lung size and body weight compared to adults.

‘What we have proven here is the height most children travel at while in a pram doubles the likelihood of negative impacts from air pollution when compared to an adult. 

‘When you also consider how vulnerable they are because of their tissues, immune systems and brain development at this early stage of their life, it is extremely worrying that they are being exposed to these dangerous levels of pollution. 

‘With the multitude of evidence set out in this review, it is important that everyone across the country begin a full and frank conversation about pollution and the impact it has on our most vulnerable’.

‘Highlights established concerns about air pollution’

Speaking of the results, published in the Environment International journal, said Dr Stefan Reis, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: ‘Effective reduction of exposure to harmful levels of air pollution, in particular for children and other vulnerable groups, needs to be based on robust experimental evidence.

‘This literature review does not present any new results, but highlights established general concerns about air pollution exposure, and will help focus future research in this direction.’

The researchers believe air pollution exposure could be reduced by controlling vehicle emissions, planting bushes between roads and pedestrians and encouraging people to carpool or use public transport.

Women exposed to air pollution before getting pregnant are nearly 20% more likely to have babies with birth defects 

This comes after research released last January suggested women exposed to air pollution before getting pregnant are nearly 20 per cent more likely to have babies with birth defects.

Living within 5km of a highly-polluted area one month before conceiving makes women more likely to give birth to babies with defects such as cleft palates or lips, a study by the University of Cincinnati found.

As well as cleft lips or palates, another common complication is the protrusion of the stomach or intestines through an unusual opening in the abdomen, the research adds. 

For every 0.01mg/m3 increase in fine air particles, birth defects rise by 19 per cent, the study found.  

Previous research suggests air pollution causes birth defects as a result of women suffering inflammation and ‘internal stress’.

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