Preterm Births Linked to Air Pollution Cost Billions in the U.S.

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Affected populations tend to be concentrated in low-income areas home to large numbers of minorities

Air pollution leads to 16,000 premature births in the United States each year, leading to billions of dollars in economic costs, according to newresearch.

Researchers behind the study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that preterm births associated with particulate matter—a type of pollutant—led to more than $4 billion in economic costs in 2010 due to medical care and lost productivity that results from disability. And, like many other public health issues, affected populations tend to be concentrated in low-income areas home to large numbers of minorities.

“This is another piece of the evidentiary pie about why we should really be doing something about air pollution,” says Tracey Woodruff, a professor who studies reproductive health and the environment at the University of California, San Francisco. “When you reduce air pollution you get lots of different health benefits.”


Countless studies have shown the effect of air pollution on cardiovascular and respiratory health—killing millions each year. Air pollution leads to inflammation in blood vessels and contributes to lung cancer, asthma and a slew of other disorders. The effect on pregnancy may in some ways be an extension of those effects as air pollution disrupts the way a pregnant woman delivers oxygen to the fetus. Air pollution may also disrupt the endocrine system, keeping women from producing a protein needed to regulate pregnancy, researchers say.

Read More: The Strange Cause of Air Pollution Decline in the Middle East

The study adds to a growing body of research showing that air pollution still exacts a toll on developed countries in addition to killing millions in places like China and India. Air pollution kills nearly 55,000, 35,000 and 25,000 annually in the U.S., Germany and Japan respectively, according to research in the journal Nature. And, as the new research shows, those deaths are just the beginning of a slew of problems linked to pollution that include diabetes, obesity, impaired cognitive development, anxiety, depression and suicide.

Like many toxins, researchers say there’s no safe level of exposure to air pollution and pregnancy provides an ideal time to consider the hazards in your surroundings. Pregnant women may want consider moving away from areas with heavy pollution or at least purchase air filters and close windows during high traffic periods. “There are substantial environmental contributors to preterm birth,” says study author Leonardo Trasande, a New York University professor. “This is an opportunity for women and families to advocate for efforts to prevent environmental contributors that are really under recognized.”

Read More: Air Pollution Kills More Than 5 Million People Around the World Every Year

But individual actions can only go so far, and the new research provides an accounting of the costs policymakers should consider when tackling air pollution from the closing of heavy polluting power plants to policies designed to mitigate traffic.

“The risk seems to be existent down to the lowest levels we can measure in a populated area,” says Michael Brauer, an environmental health professor at the University of British Columbia. “While it goes up, it doesn’t necessarily go up in a linear fashion.” And that means any air pollution is still dangerous air pollution.

http://time.com/4274355/air-pollution-preterm-birth/

 

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http://www.natureworldnews.com/arti...births-preterm-babies-environment-economy.htm

Watch Out, Expecting Mothers: Study Suggests Air Pollution May Cause Premature Births
By Jhay Are See
Mar 30, 2016 04:40 AM EDT

A Chinese girl wears a mask as heavy smog covers Beijing, China, last year, prompting the government to put the crisis on "red alert" status.
(Photo : Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Even before they get a taste of air, babies are already affected by air pollution.

A new study suggests that air pollution may be a cause for premature births every year. And not only is it a health hazard for both the mother and the child, but air pollution also showed a huge negative economic impact, not just on the search for environmental solutions, but also on its impact on huge medical costs.


While the study is still not fully clear on its definite connection, there is evidence linking expecting mothers and preterm birth, or delivery three weeks ahead of term. According to a Washington Post report, expecting mothers exposed to air pollution may have inflammation of the placenta that can result in an earlier delivery.

Exposure to tiny particulate matters, or particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, that come from traffic and factory emissions have already been seen as a cause of early deaths and several health problems. This new study suggests that they may be to blame for some premature births as well.

Delivering a baby more than three weeks ahead of the term can cause serious medical issues, including increased risk of developmental delays and in infant mortality, and difficulties in breathing and feeding.

"This really speaks to the need to continue with efforts to reduce air pollution from coal-fired power plants and vehicle exhaust," said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, associate professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Population Health and Environmental Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, and author of the study, as reported by CBS News.

While the health risks of premature births are high, its economic impact is nothing to shrug about either.

The new study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, used data on air pollution from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and data on preterm births from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers discovered that 15,808 preterm births, or 3.32 percent of preterm births nationally, can be attributed to air pollution.

Using the data of direct medical costs obtained from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, the researchers then computed the cost associated with unexpected early delivery.

In 2010, about $760 million were spent for medical care.

The loss in economic productivity as a result of physical and mental disabilities associated with preterm birth amounted to a total cost of $3.57 billion.

These lead to about $4.33 billion of additional costs--a huge impact, not just for families, but also for the economy.

Hopefully, this study will usher in new laws--and strengthen old ones--to fight for cleaner energy and a better environment.

"These kinds of economic data have been very instrumental in being the foundation for policy change," Trasande said.

http://www.salon.com/2015/08/14/chinas_coal_crisis_air_pollution_is_killing_4000_people_every_day/