Parents told to use pram covers to protect babies from air pollution

Conclusion This study aimed to investigate the pollution that babies and young children are exposed to, whether in the pram or carried by adults, on different school drop-off and pick-up walking routes. It generally found that the concentrations of fine particulates (PMC and PNC) were higher during morning hours, particularly around traffic intersections and bus stops. Experimental studies like this one are useful for testing hypotheses but there are a few points worth noting: The study assessed a single town. They would need to compare their findings with many more assessments on different routes, and in different towns, cities and rural environments. Despite the media emphasis on exposure in prams, the study found that there was no difference in exposure compared with if the baby/child was carried at adult height. And importantly, this study has not assessed whether this exposure is actually associated with health outcomes, such as respiratory diseases. As mentioned by the authors, further studies need to assess the toxicity of particles to fully understand their effects on infants. However, this particular study may pave the way for future research on this topic. As lead researcher Dr Prashant Kumar suggests in an accompanying press release: "One of the simplest ways to combat this is to use a barrier between the in-pram children and the exhaust emissions, especially at pollution hotspots such as traffic intersections, so parents could use pram covers if at...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Heart/lungs Source Type: news